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A HISTORY 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 



'UBLISIIED IN LONDON UNDER THE SUPEHINTENDENCE ()F THE 



SOCIETY FOR THE DIFFVSION OF IIPEIUL KNOWLKDGE. 



FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. 

IT n (J u E s T I o N y : d y a. n k x I' k u i e n c e d t e a. c n b r : 



ADDITIONAL NOTES, 



VVA5H\^ 

COLUMBUS, OHIO : 

PUBLISHED BV ISAAC N. WHITING 

1834. 

7/ 




Entered according to act of Congress, iu the year 1834, 

By Isaac N. Whiting, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Ohio. 



- 't 

A-'^ 



C. Scott, Printer, Columbus, O. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The following work was originally prepared for the London Library of 
Useful Knowledge, and published in several of its numbers. It bears all the 
marks of extensive investigation of the subject and impartiality in treating it, 
which distinguish the works of that Society, and is alike nervous, elegant, and 
perspicuous in its style. Perhaps there is no work extant which embodies in 
so small a compass so full and interesting account of those eventful times 
which marked the rise and progress of the American Revolution. But whUe 
it wiU be found exceedingly interesting to readers generally, it is undoubtedly 
especially well calculated to form a most useful School Book. And with the 
view of rendering it still more valuable in this respect, to the youth of this 
country, and of impressing its important facts still moire deeply on their minds, 
a series of Questions has been prepared expressly for this edition, with consid- 
erable care and attention, by an old, experienced teacher. A number of valua- 
ble notes, designed to illustrate more clearly some of the more important leading 
events, has also been added, taken chiefly from Holmes's Annals of America 
and Hale's History of the United States. Tlie Constitution of the United States, 
with the amendments, has been inserted as an Appendix. With these additions 
it is believed there is no work of the kind to be found which can be more 
profitably studied by the rising generation, or which is better adapted to form a 
valuable text book for our Schools. It is readily confessed that few occurrences 
have ever transpired in connexion with the various revolutions of governments 
and empires, whose influences have been more extensive and salutary through- 
out the civilized world than the American Revolution. It formed indeed a 
new era in the history of mankind, and the principles which were then con- 
tended for and successfully established, the untiring ardor and stern patriotism 
which distinguished the actors of those times, should be early and familiarly 
made known, in order that we may duly prize our inestimable institutions— 
The publisher of this edition would therefore especially recommend the work 
to the attention of parents and teachers. 

The narrative of the enterprise of Sergeant Champc,from page 170 to the 
end of Section 32, is copied from Lee's Memoirs, and was intended to be in- 
serted as a note. 



CONTENTS 



Page 
Section 1. Settlement of British America 5 

2. War of 1756 10 

3. Resolutions of the House of Commons, 10th of March, 1764.... 14 

4. Stamp Act, March 22, 1765 .16 

5. Repeal of the Stamp Act, 10th of March, 1766 — New attempt at 
Taxation, and resistance to tlie same 21 

6. Petition and Remonstrance, 1773 32 

7. Boston Port-Act, and Repeal of the Charter of Massachusetts 39 

8. Removal of the Seat of Government from Boston 48 

9. First acts of the Assembly at Concord 50 

10. Opening of the Congress at Philadelphia 54 

11. Address of the House of Commons, 9th of February, 1775 57 

12. Affair at Lexington, 19th of April, 1775 66 

13. Battle of Bunker's Hill 69 

14. Union of the thirteen Provinces — Hancock appointed President, 
and Washington Commaiijrier-in-Chief 73 

15. Invasion of Canada — Death of Montgomery 77 

16. Evacuation of Boston, March 17, 1776 80 

17. Declaration of Independence ' 8(j 

18. Capture of Long Island 96 

19. Evacuation of New York 99 

20. Battle of Trenton 102 

21. Capture of Philadelphia 106 

22.,.Burgoyne"s Expedition 109 

23. Failure of Burgoyne's Expedition 114 

24. Convention of Saratoga 121 

25. Treaty with France 123 

26. Rejection of Lord North's Overtures 128 

27. Arrival of the French Fleet 137 

28. Campaign of 1779 140 

29. Siege and Capitulation of Charleston 147 

30. Defeat of Gates's Army by Lord Cornwallis 152 

31. Arrival of the French Auxiliaries under Rochambeau 160 

32. Treason of Arnold, and death of Andre 163 

S3. Campaign of 1781— Defeat of Greene, by Lord Cornwallis 190 

34. Campaign of 1781 continued— Defeat of Lord Rawdon by Gen- 
eral Greene 196 

35. Further Events of the Campaign — Preparations for tlie Siege of 
New York 235 

36. Sie^^e of Yorktown— Surreiuler of Cornwallis 240 

37. Provisional Treaty of Peace 246 

38. Conclusion " 252 

Appendix— The Constitution of tiie United States 259 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION 



SECTION I. 

SETTLEMENT OF BRITISH AMERICA. 

The discovery of the western hemisphere, effected by 
the bold and persevering genius of Christopher Columbus, 
in the year 1492, gave a new impulse to European activi- 
ty; and the splendid conquests of the Spaniards in the West 
Indies, and in South America, excited the emulation of the 
other maritime powers of Christendom. Our ancestors 
were not dilatory in their endeavors to enter upon this new 
path to glory and wealth ; for we find that in the year 1498, 
John Cabot, by virtue of a commission from Henry VII., 
took formal possession, in the name of that monarch, of a 
considerable portion of the continent of North America. 
No attempt however, was made to establish a colony in that 
country till the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when Sir Hum- 
phrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh, in the years 1578 
and 1584, formed settlements there, which were soon wasted 
by famine, by disease, and by the arrows of the natives, 
who, as heathens, were counted as nothing in the royal 
grants under which the adventurers acted. The first per- 
manent British settlement was established in the reign of 
King James I., under whose auspices a company of adven- 

V7ho discovered America? In what year? 
Who took possession of a part of North America? 
When? 

B 



6 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

turers built Jamestown, on the northern side of James river. 
This colony, however, continued for a long time in a feeble 
state. It was founded A. D. 1607,- and, though it received 
continual accessions of new settlers, its population, in the 
year 1670, amounted to no more than 40,000 souls. 

The Virginian colonists were prompted to quit their na- 
tive country by the hope of bettering their temporal condi- 
tion. A higher motive gave rise to the colonization of 
the northern portion of the new continent. After the pass- 
ing of the Act of Uniformity, in the reign of Elizabeth, 
the Puritans had suffered a grievous persecution ; to escape 
from which a small body of them had fled, in the year 1606, 
into Holland. Unwilling, however, entirely to sever them- 
selves from the land which gave them birth, they applied 
to their sovereign. King James, beseeching him to permit 
them to establish themselves in his North American domin- 
ions, ^in the full exercise of liberty in religious matters. 
With this their request, in its full extent, James refused to 
comply. All that they could obtain from him was a promise 
that he would connive at their infringements of the statutes, 
the operation of which had driven them into voluntary exile. 
On the faith of the royal word to this effect, they embarked, 
to the number of 101, in the month of September, 1620^ 
and arriving at Cape Cod in the following November, soon 
afterwards fixed themselves in a place of settlement, which 
they called New Plymouth, and which, it must be observed 
to their honor, they purchased from the natives. Dread- 
ful were the difficulties with which this handful of reli- 

Where was tlie first permanent settlement made? 
At what time? 

What inducements prompted the Virginian colonists to quit their native 
country? 

When and where was the second settlement made? 
Who were the settlers of Plymouth? Their number! 
What motive induced tbeir emigration? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 7 

gionists had to struggle,- landing as they did in the depth of 
winter, and exposed as they were, notwithstanding their 
conciliatory disposition to the hostility of the natives. But, 
supported by the principles of piety, and determined at any 
price to purchase riligious freedom, they maintained their 
ground; and being from time to time recruited by new mi- 
grations of their persecuted brethren, they, by degrees, 
spread themselves over the province of Massachusetts. 

It too often happens that religion produces dissension, 
and that those who have suffered persecution, when they 
have obtained power, become persecutors themselves. — 
This was the case with the principal inhabitants of the 
colony of Massachusetts. Falling into the common error 
of the times, in thinking that uniformity of sentiment on 
the subject of religious doctrines was required by the truth 
of the gospel, and by a regard to the peace and welfare of 
society, they established it as a rule of government, 'that 
no man should be admitted to the freedom of their body 
politic, -but such tis were members of some of their chur- 
ches;' and they afterwards passed a resolution, 'that none 
but such should share in the administration of civil govern- 
ment, or have a voice in any election.' In this instance, 
however, as in many others, evil was productive of good. 
The discontented sectarians sought other settlements, and 
founded the colonies of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New 
Hampshire. 

Whilst the once persecuted Protestants thus gave a sad 
proof that their sufferings had not taught them mercy, it 
was reserved for a Roman Catholic nobleman to give to 
the new world a striking example of this happy docility. 



With wliat difficulties had they to struggle? 
What was a common error of the times? 
What rule of government did they establish? 
What became of the discontented sectarians? 



8 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

In the year 1632, Lorld Baltimore obtained a charter for a 
new colony, the first settlers of which consisted chiefly of Ro- 
man Catholic gentlemen; and, having established his band of 
emigrants in Maryland, he so exerted his influence with 
the members of the assembly of the new province, that 
they laid it down as a fundamental principle of their con- 
stitution, Hhat no persons professing to believe in Christ 
Jesus should be molested in respect of their religion, or in 
the free exercise thereof.' His lordship's enlightened policy 
was eminently successful. Under the nurture of religious 
liberty, his infant settlement soon advanced rapidly towards 
maturity. 

In the reign of Charles II., royal charters of the most 
liberal tenor were granted to Connecticut, Rhode Island, 
and Providence Plantations ; and patents were also granted 
to Lord Clarendon and the Duke of York, bestowing on the 
former a right to form plantations in the district now 
comprehending North and South Carolina and Georgia, and 
delegating to the latter the same right as respecting New 
York and New Jersey; and finally, a patent was issued, 
authorizing the celebrated William Penn to colonize Penn- 
sylvania and Delaware. 

The English emigrants who settled in North America 
were a class of people very different from the Spaniards, 
who subdued the southern continent. They did not leave 
their native shores for the purpose of invading and plunder- 
ing rich provinces and wealthy cities; but they sought 
prosperity by the painful arts of industry and economy. 
Purchasing land from the aborigines, they at first devoted 



By whom, and when, was Baltimore settled? 
What was his policy? Was it successful? 

What charters were granted? What patents were issued during the 
reign of Charles II.? 

By whom waa South America subdued? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 9 

themselves to the culture of the soil; and in process of time, 
those who continued to reside on the sea-shore, or on the 
banks of navigable rivers, addicted themselves to commerce. 
Their success in this pursuit is evinced by the fact, that 
though in the year 1704, the imports of the province of 
Pennsylvania amounted only to £11,499 sterling, in 1772 
they were increased to the value of j£607,909, and in the 
same year the whole of the exports from Great Britain 
to her North American colonies amounted to upwards of 
£6,000,000 sterling. 

Though each colony had its separate constitution, the 
principles of freedom pervaded them all. In some provin- 
ces the governors and the magistrates were elected by the 
people; and in those, the governors and chief officers of 
which were appointed by the crown, the power of these 
functionaries was controlled by assemblies, the members of 
which were chosen by the freeholders, who were too nu- 
merous to be bribed, and too independent in their circum- 
stances to be swayed by influence. Throughout the whole 
of the Union there was not found a single proprietor of a 
borough, nor an interest to nurture the principles of bigot- 
ry and passive obedience. When the first settlers took 
possession of the country, they brought with them all the 
rights of Englishmen, and those rights they were jealous 
in maintaining. Their interior concerns were regulated 
by their representatives in assembly ; but in consideration of 
their origin, and of the protection against foreign enemies, 
which they received from the mother country, they cheer- 
fully submitted to the obligation of exclusively trading 



How did the English differ from them? 
What principles pervaded the constitution of each colony? 
How were the governors and magistrates elected in some of the provinces? 
How in others? 

How did they regulate their interior concerns? 
b2 



10 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

with her, and of being bound by all the laws touching com- 
merce, which might be passed by the British parliament. 
The limits of the authority of parliament they were not 
critical in canvassing, with one exception, namely, claiming 
to be independent of that body in the matter of internal 
taxation. They maintained, comformably to one of the 
most established principles of the British constitution, that 
an assembly in which they were not represented had no 
right to burden them with imposts. 



SECTION II. 

WAR OF SEVENTEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX. 

The growing power of the British colonies in America 
was strikingly evinced in the year 1745, when a force of 
5000 men, raised and equipped by the single State of Mas- 
sachusetts, and acting in concert with a British armament 
from the Indies, took Louisburg from the French. The 
success of this expedition so much excited the jealousy of 
the government of France, that, after the termination of 
the war in which Louisburg was taken, they dispossessed 
the Ohio Company of the settlements which it had formed 
on the river of that name, alleging that the territory in 
question was part of the dominions of his Most Christian 
Majesty. It was on this occasion that George Washington, 
then a major in the Virginian militia, first drew his sword in 
hostility. At the head of 300 men he defeated a party of 



What is a principle of tlie British constitution? 

Did the colonists maintain this? 

What expedition is here mentioned? 

Wliat was the result? 

What was a consequence of the capture of Louieburg? 

What is related of Geo. Washington? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 1 1 

French ; but being afterwards attacked by a superior force 
he was obliged to surrender, receiving, however, honorable 
terms of capitulation. 

A war with France now seeming inevitable, a general 
meeting of the governors and leading members of the pro- 
vincial assemblies was held at Albany, in the State of New 
York. This meeting proposed, as the result of its delibera- 
tions, 'that a grand council should be formed of members, 
to be chosen by the provincial assemblies; which council, 
together with a governor to be appointed by the crown, 
should be authorized to make general laws, and also to raise 
money from all the colonies, for their common defence.' 
The British government seem to have viewed this proposal 
with jealousy, as a step towards independence. They dis- 
approved of the projected mode of the election of the mem- 
bers of the council ; nor were they satisfied with the plan 
of raising the requisite supplies by acts of the colonial 
legislatures; and they proposed that 'the governors of all 
the colonies, attended by one or two members of their re- 
spective councils, should, from time to time, concert mea- 
sures for the whole colonies; erect forts and raise troops 
with a power to draw upon the British treasury in the first 
instance ; but to be ultimately reimbursed by a tax to be 
laid on the colonies by act of parliament.' This counter 
proposal was strenuously opposed by the colonists, who re- 
fused to trust their interests to governors and members of 
councils, since almost the whole of the former, and the 
great majority of the latter, were nominated by the crown. 
As to the plan of raising taxes in the colonies by the au- 

Wliat meeting was lield at Albany ? 

What was its object? 

How was tbe proposition viewed by the English governmenl? 

What did the British government propose? 

How did the colonics receive it? 



12 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

thority of the British parliament, they rejected it in the 
most peremptory manner. In the discussions which took 
place on this occasion, Dr. Franklin took an active part, 
and in a letter to Mr. Shirley, governor of Massachusetts, 
as Dr. Ramsay observes, 'he anticipated the substance of a 
controversy, which for twenty years employed the pens, 
tongues, and swords of both countries.' In his correspon- 
dence with the governor, the American patriot intimated 
his apprehension, 'that excluding the people from all share 
in the choice of the grand council, would give extreme dis- 
satisfaction, as well as the taxing them by act of parliament, 
where they have no representation. 'It is,' observes he, 
with equal candor and good sense, — -'it is'^very possible that 
this general government might be as well and faithfully ad- 
ministered without the people as with them; but where 
heavy burdens are to be laid upon them, it has been found 
useful to make it, as much as possible, their own act; for 
they bear better, when they have, or think they have, some 
share in the direction ; and when any public measures are 
generally grievous, or even distasteful to the people, the 
wheels of government move more heavily.' On the sub- 
ject of the general characters of the governors of the colo- 
nies, to whom it was thus intended to delegate extraordina- 
ry powers. Dr. Franklin thus expressed himself, in terms 
well worthy the attention of all ministers who are invested 
with the appointment of such functionaries ; — 'Governors 
often come to the colonies merely to make fortunes, with 
which they intend to return to Britain ; are not always men 
of the best abilities or integrity; have many of them no 
estates here, nor any natural connexion with us, that should 
make them heartily concerned for our welfare; and might 
possibly be fond of raising and keeping up more forces than 

What American patriot? What were his apprehensions? 
With what views did governors often come to the colonies? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 13 

lecessary, from the profits accruing to themselves, and to 
nake provisions for their friends and dependents.' The 
opposition which their project experienced, induced the 
British government to withdraw it, and the colonies and 
he mother country for some time longer acted together in 
inion and harmony. The consequence of this was, that 
nder the vigorous administration of Mr. Pitt, the war, be- 
un in 1756, was terminated by a treaty signed in 1763; 
ccording to the articles of which, Canada was ceded to 
Jreat Britain by France, and the two Floridas by Spain. 

The North American colonies, in general, entered into 
he war of 1756 with such zeal, that some of them advanced 
mds for its prosecution to a greater amount than the quota 
^hich had been demanded of them' by the British govern- 
lent. Others of them, however, the State of Maryland 
3r instance, had, from local and accidental causes neglected 
D contribute their share to the requisite supplies. This 
ircumstance, in all probability, led British statesmen to 
dsh to establish a system, by means of which the resour- 
Bs of the colonies might be made available without the 
ecessity of the concurrence of their local legislatures. — 
iccordingly, Mr. Pitt is said to have told Dr. Franklin, that, 
when the war closed, if he should be in the ministry, he 
/•ould take measures to prevent the colonies from having a 
)Ower to refuse or delay the supplies which might be want- 
ig for national purposes.' This declaration is certainly at 
ariance with the doctrines which Mr. Pitt maintained when 
tie question of colonial taxation was afterwards discussed 
1 parliament. But at the latter period that great statesman 
;^as no longer minister; and he is not the only politician 
i^ho has held different language when in and out of power. 

What distinguished British minister is named? 
What were the conditions of the treaty? 
What is it said Mr. Pitt told Dr. Franklin? 



14 AMERICAN EEVOLUTION. 



SECTION III. 



RESOLUTIONS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, 10th OF MARCH, 
1764. 

Whatever might be the motives of their conduct, the Brit- 
ish ministry, in the year 1764, began to manifest a narrow 
and jealous policy towards the North American colonies. 
For a long series of years the commerce of the eastern 
States had been most beneficially extended to the Spanish 
and French colonies ; to which they transported great 
quantities of British manufactures, the profits on the sale of 
which were divided between themselves and their corres- 
pondents in the mother country. This course of trade, 
though not repugnant to the spirit of the navigation laws, 
was contrary to their letter. Of this the British ministry 
took advantage j and by the activity of their revenue cut- 
ters, they put a stop to the traffic in question, to the detri- 
ment and ruin of many merchants, not only in America, 
but also in Great Britain. In September, 1764, indeed, 
they caused an act to be passed, authorizing the trade be- 
tween the North Americans and the French and Spanish 
colonies, but loading it with such duties as amounted to a 
prohibition, and prescribing that all offenders against the 
act should be prosecuted in the Court of Admiralty, where 
they were deprived of a trial by jury. As an accumulation 
of the grievances which the colonists felt from this act, its 
preamble contained the following words of fearful omen : 
' Whereas it is just and necessary that a revenue be raised 
in America, for defraying the expenses of defending, pro- 

Wliat was the preamble? 

What policy was manifested towards the colonies in 1764? 
Of what did the British ministry take advantage? 
What act was passed in 1764? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 15 

tecting, and securing the same. We, the Commons, &c., 
towards raising the same, give and grant unto your Ma- 
jesty,' &c. 

It is believed by competent judges that the colonists, 
however disposed to resent this encroachment on their con- 
stitutional rights, would have submitted without resistance 
to the provisions of the act as regulations of trade and 
commerce. But the ministry soon took a bolder step, by 
proceeding to impose a direct internal tax upon the colonies 
by authority of parliament. This measure was vindicated 
on the following grounds, that the pressure of the payment 
of the interest of the national debt weighed so heavily on 
the British community, that it was expedient that by every 
proper means this burden should be lightened ; that a con- 
siderable portion of this debt had been contracted in the 
furnishing of supplies for the defence of the North Ameri- 
can colonies ; that it was just and reasonable that those colo- 
nies should contribute their proportion towards its liquida- 
tion ; and that the authority of parliament was competent 
to bind them so to do. The idea of relieving the public 
burdens by the taxation of distant colonies, was of course, 
very popular throughout the British nation; and so little 
was the right of parliament to impose such taxation at first 
questioned in Britain, that on the 10th of March, 1764, a 
resolution to the following effect passed the House of Com- 
mons, without any remark, ' That towards farther defray- 
ing the said expenses, it may be proper to charge certain 
stamp duties in the said colonies and plantations.' Nothing, 
however, was immediately done in pursuance of this reso- 
lution ; as ministers were in hopes that the apprehension of 
the passing of an act founded on it would induce the colonists 

What step did the ministry next take? 

On what grounds was this measure vindicated? 

What resolution was passed on the 10th of March, 1764? 

What were the ministers in hopes of? 



16 AMERICAN REVOLITTION. 

to raise a sum equivalent to the expected produce of such act, 
by bills passed in their respective legislative assemblies; 
but in these hopes they were disappointed. When intelli- 
gence of the resolution for laying a tax on stamps arrived 
in America, the colonists were filled with alarm and indig- 
nation. They declared internal taxation of the colonies by 
the authority of parliament to be an innovation and an 
infringement on their rights and liberties. If parliament 
was authorized to levy one tax upon them, it was author- 
ized to levy a thousand. Where, then, was the security of 
their property, or what protection could they expect for 
their dearest interests, from a body of men who were igno- 
rant of their circumstances : between whom and themselves 
there was no bond of sympathy, and who, indeed, had a 
direct interest in removing the weight of taxation from 
their own shoulders to those of the colonists? .They were 
entitled, they affirmed, to all the rights of British subjects, 
of which the most valuable w^as exemption from all taxes, 
save those which should be imposed upon them by their 
own freely chosen and responsible representatives. Influ- 
enced by the feelings and motives implied in these declara- 
tions, instead of passing tax bills, they voted petitions and 
remonstrances to parliament and to the throne. 



SECTION IV. 

STAMP ACT, MARCH 22, 1765- 

The supplications and complaints of the colonists were 
disregarded. In the month of ]\Iarch, 1765, a bill for lay- 
ing a duty on stamps in America was brought into the 



How were the colonics aflected with Uie news of the •' stamp act'' ? 
What rights did they declare themselves entitled to? 
What did they do to obtain redress? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 17 

House of Commons by Mr. Grcnville. This bill was sup- 
ported by Mr. Charles Townscnd, who is reported to have 

concluded his speech in its favor in the following words : 

*And now will these Americans — children planted by our 
care, nourished up by our indulgence, till they are grown 
to a degree of strength and opulence, and protected by our 
arms — will they grudge to contribute their mite to relieve 
us from the heavy weight of that burden which we lie un- 
der?' To this invidious appeal to the pride and the preju- 
dices of the members of the House of Commons, Colonel 
Barre thus energetically replied: — 'They planted by your 
care! No! your oppressions planted them in America.— ^ 
They fled from your tyranny to a then uncultivated and 
inhospitable country, where they exposed themselves to 
almost all the hardships to which human nature is liable, 
and, among others, to the cruelty of a savage foe, the most 
subtle, and, I will take upon me to say, the most formida- 
ble of any people upon the face of God's earth ; and yet, 
actuated by principles of true English liberty, they met all 
hardships with pleasure, compared with those they sulTered 
in their own country, from the hands of those who should 
have been their friends. They nourished up by your in- 
dulgence! they grew by your neglect of them. As soon as 
you began to care for them, that care was exercised in 
sending persons to rule them in one department and another, 
who were, perhaps, the deputies of deputies to some mem- 
bers of this House, sent to spy out their liberties, to mis- 
represent their actions, and to prey upon them — men whose 
behaviour, on many occasions, has caused the blood of 
those sons of liberty to recoil within them — men promoted 

What was done by Mr. Grenville in 1765? 
Who supported this bill? 
What did he say in support of it? 
What was said in reply? By whom? 

c 



1 8 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

to the highest seats of justice; some who, to my knowledge, 
were glad, by going to a foreign country, to escape being 
brought to the bar of a court of justice in their own. They 
protected by your arms ! they have nobly taken up arms 
in your defence, have exerted their valor, amidst their con- 
stant and laborious industry, for the defence of a country 
whose frontier was drenched in blood, while its interior 
parts yielded all its little savings to your emolument. And, 
believe me, remember I this day told you so, that same 
spirit of freedom which actuated that people at first, will 
accompany them still ; but prudence forbids me to explain 
/nyself further. God knows I do not at this time speak from 
any motives of party heat; what I deliver are the genuine 
sentiments of my heart. However superior to me in gen- 
eral knowledge and experience, the respectable body of 
this House may be, yet I claim to know more of America 
than most of you, having seen and been conversant with 
that country. The people, I believe, are as truly loyal as 
any subjects the king has, but a people jealous of their lib- 
erties, and who will vindicate them, if ever they should be 
violated. But the subject is too delicate — I will say no 
more.' 

In the House of Lords the bill met with no opposition ; 
and on the 2 2d of March it received the royal assent. In 
adopting the stamp-act as a method of taxing the colonies, 
ministers flattered themselves that the nullity of all trans- 
actions- in which the stamps prescribed by the new law 
were not used would insure its execution. In this confi- 
dence they postponed the commencement of its operation 
to the month of November, 1765. This was a fatal error 
on their part. Had they prescribed its enforcement imme- 
diately on its arrival in America, the colonists might, in 

What was a fatal error? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 19 

their consternation, have been awed into compliance with 
its provisions; but the long interval between its arrival 
and its execution, gave them ample time to organize their 
opposition against it. Of this they fully availed them- 
selves. On the 28th of May, the assembly of Virginia 
passed strong resolutions against the stamp-act, the sub- 
stance of which was readily adopted by the other provin- 
cial legislatures. Popular pamphlets were published in 
abundance, in reprobation of the power thus assumed by 
the British parliament; and the proprietors of newspapers, 
whose journals were destined to be burdened with a stamp 
duty, raised against the obnoxious statute a cry, which re- 
sounded from Massachusetts to Georgia. The oppressive 
measures of ministers were canvassed in town-meetings 
and in every place of public resort; and the limits of the 
obedience due to the parent country were freely and boldly 
discussed in every company. In these proceedings the 
colony of Virginia led the way, by passing in the House of 
Burgesses, at the motion of Mr. Patrick Henry, the follow- 
ing resolutions : 1st, 'That the first adventurers — settlers 
of this his Majesty's colony and dominion of Virginia — 
brought with them, and transmitted to their posterity, and 
all other his Majesty's subjects, since inhabiting in this his 
Majesty's said colony, all the liberties, privileges, and im- 
munities that have at any time been held, enjoyed, and 
possessed by the people of Great Britain;' — 2dly, 'That by 
two royal charters, granted by King James I., the colonies 
aforesaid are declared to be entitled to all liberties, privi- 
leges, and immunities of denizens, and natural subjects, to 
all intents and purposes, as if they had been abiding and 

What did the Legislature of Virginia do? 
What took place from Massachusetts to Georgia? 
What of Patrick Henry? 
Repeat the first resolution, the secondl 



20 AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 

born within the realm of England ;' — 3dly, ' That his Ma- 
jesty's liege people of this his ancient colony have enjoyed 
the right of being thus governed by their own assembly, in 
the article of taxes and internal police, and that the same 
has never been forfeited or yielded up, but been constantly 
recognized by the king and people of Britain;' — 4thly, 
^Eesolved, therefore, that the general assembly of this 
colony, together with his Majesty or his substitutes, have, 
in their representative capacity, the only exclusive right 
and power to lay taxes and imposts upon the inhabitants 
of this colony, and that every attempt to vest such power 
in any other person or persons whatsoever than the gen- 
eral assembly aforesaid, is illegal, unconstitutional and un- 
just, and hath a manifest tendency to destroy British as 
well as American liberty;' — 5thly, 'Resolved, that his Ma- 
jesty's liege people, the inhabitants of this colony, are not 
bound to yield obedience to any law or ordinance what- 
ever, designed to impose any taxation whatever upon them, 
other than the laws or ordinances of the general assembly 
aforesaid;' — 6thly, 'Resolved, that any person who shall, 
by speaking or writing, assert or maintain that any person 
or persons, other than the general assembly of this colo- 
ny, have any right or power to impose, or lay any taxa- 
tion on the people here, shall be deemed an enemy to this 
his Majesty's colony.' 

The heat engendered by the debates, which in various 
colonies issued in resolutions to the tenor of the foregoing, 
at length broke out in acts of violence. The populace of 
Boston attacked the houses of the officers of government, 
and destroyed their furniture. Similar excesses took place 
in some of the other colonies; and the general antipathy of 

Repeat the third resolution, the/owrf A, the fifth and sixth. 
What did the populace of Boston do? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 21 

the public against the act sheltered the perpetrators of 
these outrages from punishment. 

These ebullitions were followed by more regular and 
more eftective proceedings on the part of the American 
patriots. On the 6th of June the assembly of Massachu- 
setts, sensible of the necessity of union to the maintenance 
of their rights and liberties, invited the other colonial legis- 
lative bodies to send deputies to a general congress to be 
holden at* New York on the second Tuesday of October, 
for the purpose of deliberating on the steps necessary to be 
taken in the existing circumstances. This summons was 
readily answered by all the colonies, except those of Vir- 
ginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, which, however, hear- 
tily approved of the purposed measures, but were prevent- 
ed by their respective governors from meeting for the 
purpose of electing deputies to attend the congress. The 
representatives of nine colonies met at the time and place 
appointed, and after mature deliberation agreed upon a 
declaration of their rights and a statement of their grievan- 
ces, and also drew up and signed petitions to the king and 
to both houses of parliament. Similar steps were taken 
individually by the colonies which had been prevented from 
sending deputies to the congress. 



SECTION V. 

REPEAL OF THE STAMP-ACT, 10th OF MARCH, 1766.— NEW AT- 
TEMPT AT TAXATION, AND RESISTANCE TO THE SAME. 

The first of November, the day on which the stamp-act 
was to commence its operation, was ushered in throughout 

ViThat took place on the 6th of June? 

How many colonics omitted to attend this Congress? Why? 
What did this congress agree upon? 
What occurred on the 1st of November? 
C2 



22 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

the colonies by the funereal tolling of bells. In the course 
of the day, various processions and public exhibitions were 
made, all indicative of the abhorrence in which the detested 
statute was universally held. By common consent, the act 
was utterly disregarded, and not a stamp was bought to 
legalize any transaction. Nor did the Americans content 
themselves with this sullen opposition to the measures of 
ministers. They entered into solemn resolutions not to 
import any British manufactured goods, till the ^stamp-act 
was repealed ; and an association was formed to oppose the 
act by force of arms. The latter step had no immediate 
effect; but the non-importation agreement brought such 
distress upon the British manufacturers, that they besieged 
parliament with petitions against the measures which had 
been adopted for the taxing of the colonies. Thus assailed 
by the clamors of the colonists and by the complaints of the 
suffering British merchants, his Majesty's government, at 
the head of which was now placed the Marquess of Rock- 
ingham, for a time wavered at the view of the unpleasant 
alternative which was set before them, of either repealing 
or enforcing the obnoxious statute. The former measure 
was grating to the pride of the nation at large, and the lat- 
ter evidently involved in its prosecution the danger of a 
civil war. During this period of hesitation, the state of the 
colonies was frequently discussed in parliament. It was, 
in particular, the prominent subject of debate at the open- 
ing of the session on the 17th of December, 1765. On this 
occasion Mr. Pitt seems to have exerted all the energies of 
his powerful mind to avert the mischiefs which he beheld 
impending over his country. 'It is a long time, Mr. Speak- 
er,' said he, ' since I have attended in parliament. When 
the resolution was taken in the House to tax America, I 

What resolutions were entered into? 

Who pleaded the cause of the colonies in Parliament, 1765? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 23 

was ill in bed. If I could have endured to have been car- 
ried in my bed, so great was the agitation of my mind for 
the consequences, I would have solicited some kind hand to 
have laid me down on this floor, to have borne my testi- 
mony against it. It is now an act that has passed ; I would 
speak with decency of every act of this House, but I must 
beg the indulgence of the House to speak of it with free- 
dom. I hope a day may be soon appointed to consider the 
state of the nation with respect to America. I hope gentle- 
men will come to this debate with all the temper and im- 
partiality that his Majesty recommends, and the importance 
of the subject requires — a subject of greater importance 
than ever engaged the attention of this House, that subject 
only excepted, when, nearly a century ago, it was the ques- 
tion whether you yourselves were to be bound or free. In 
the mean time, as I cannot depend upon health for any fu- 
ture day, such is the nature of my infirmities, I will beg to 
say a few words at present, leaving the justice, the equity, 
the policy, the expediency of the act to another time. I 
will only speak to one point — a point which seems not to 
have been generally understood — I mean to the right. — 
Some gentlemen seem to have considered it as a point of 
honor. If gentlemen consider it in that light, they leave 
all measures of right and wrong, to follow a delusion that 
may lead to destruction. It is my opinion that this king- 
dom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies. At the 
same time I assert the authority of this kingdom over the 
colonies to be sovereign and supreme in every circumstance 
of government and legislation whatsoever. They are the 
subjects of this kingdom, equally entitled with yourselves to 
all the natural rights of mankind, and the peculiar privile- 
ges of Englishmen. Equally bound by its laws, and equal- 
ly participating of the constitution of this free country, the 
Americans are the sons — not the bastards of England. — 
Taxation is no part of the governing or legislative power. 



24 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

The taxes are a voluntary gift and grant of the Commons 
alone. In legislation the three estates of the realm are 
alike concerned ; but the concurrence of the peers and the 
crown to a tax is only necessary to close with the form of 
a law. The gift and grant is of the Commons alone. In 
ancient days the crown, the barons, and the clergy pos- 
sessed the lands. In those days the barons and clergy gave 
and granted to the crown. They gave and granted what 
was their own. At present, since the discovery of Amer- 
ica, and other circumstances admitting, the Commons are 
become the proprietors of the land. The crown has di- 
vested itself of its great estates. The church (God bless it) 
has but a pittance. The property of the Lords, compared 
with that of the Commons, is as a drop of water in the 
ocean ; and this House represents those Commons, the pro- 
prietors of the lands ; and those proprietors virtually rep- 
resent the rest of the inhabitants. When, therefore, in this 
House we give and grant, we give and grant what is our 
own. But in an American tax what do we do? ' We, your 
Majesty's Commons' of Great Britain, give and grant to 
your Majesty' — what? — our own property? — No! We 
give and grant to your Majesty the property of your Ma- 
jesty's Commons of America! It is an absurdity in terms.' 
'There is,' said Mr. Pitt, towards the close of his speech, 
* there is an idea in some, that the colonies are virtually 
represented in this House. I would fain know by whom 
an American is represented here? Is he represented by any 
knight of the shire in any county in this kingdom? Would 
to God that respectable representation was augmented to a 
greater number ! Or will you tell him that he is repre- 
sented by any representative of a borough — a borough 
which, perhaps, no man ever saw. This is what is called 
the rotten part of the constitution. It cannot continue a 

What said Mr. Pitt towards the close of his speech? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 25 

century — if it does not drop it must be amputated. The idea 
of a virtual representation of America in this House is the 
most contemptible idea that ever entered into the head of 
a man.' Mr. Pitt concluded by declaring ii as his opinion, 
that whilst the Americans were possessed of the constitu- 
tional right to tax themselves, Great Britain, as the supreme 
governing and legislative power, had always bound the co- 
lonies by her laws, by her regulations and restrictions in 
trade, in navigation^ in manufactures, in every thing ex- 
cept that of taking their money out of their pockets with- 
out their consent. Of this broad assertion, of the extent 
of British power over the colonies, Mr. Grenville, the pa- 
tron of the stamp-act, took advantage, and maintained that 
there was no difference in principle between the right to 
impose external and internal taxation. He asserted that 
the protection from time to time afforded to America by 
Britain was a just ground of claim to obedience on the part 
of the latter from the former, and asked when America 
was emancipated from the allegiance which she owed to 
the parent State ? Provoked by Mr. Grenville's sophistry, 
and irritated by his insolence of tone and manner, Mr. Pitt 
gave utterance to the following declaration — a declaration, 
no doubt, well calculated to animate the spirit of freedom 
on the other side of the Atlantic. ^ The gentleman tells us 
that America is obstinate; America is almost in open re- 
bellion, I REJOICE THAT AMERICA HAS RESISTED. Three 

millions of people, so dead to all the feelings of liberty, as 
voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit in- 
struments to make slaves of the rest of their fellow sub- 
jects.' 

Thus did Mr. Pitt plead the cause of the colonies with all 
the fervor of commanding eloquence. In the course of a 



Who followed Mr. Pitt in debate? 
What was Mr. Pitt 'a reply? 



26 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

few days the same cause was maintained by Dr. Franklin, 
on the plain and unadorned, but convincing principles of 
common sense. In the month of February, that celebrated 
philosopher was examined at the bar of the House of Com- 
mons touching the state of America, and the probable ef- 
fect upon the inhabitants of that country of the imposition 
of stamp duties. In this examination he evinced an accu- 
rate and extensive knowledge of facts — of facts which were 
calculated to convince any reasonable mind that it was 
morally impossible to enforce the stamp-act in the colonies ; 
and that an attempt to effect that object would be productive 
of the worst consequences to the prosperity of Britain. — 
The train of interrogatories furnished, of course, by him- 
self, afforded him an opportunity of stating his opinions in 
his accustomed clear and simple manner ; and the cross-ex- 
amination which he underwent on the part of members hos. 
tile to the claims of the colonies, gave an occasion for the 
display of that coolness of temper and promptitude of per- 
ception by which he was distinguished. His examination 
concluded with the following pithy questions and replies: — 
Q. What used to be the pride of the Americans? A. To 
indulge in the fashions and manufactures of Great Britain 
Q. What is now their pride? A. To wear their old clothes 
over again till they can make new ones.* 

* On the 10th of November, 1776, on motion of the Duke of Richmond, tha^ 
Mr. Penn, whom he saw below tlie bar, should be examined, in order to establish 
the authenticity of the petition presented by him, several curious particulars, re- 
lative to much contoverted subjects, came out upon the examination of this gen. 
tleman. 

He was personally acquainted with almost all the members of Congress, had 
been governor of the colony, and resided in the city in which they assembled and 

What celebrated philosopher is here spoken of ? 
Before whom was he examined ? 
What questions were put to him? 
What were his answers? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 27 

The distress of the commercial and manufacturing in- 
terests now co-operating with parliamentary arguments and 
eloquence, the new ministers, who were not so deeply com- 

held their deliberations, and had every opportunity, from office, family connex- 
ion, locality of property, and an extensive acquaintance, to obtain the fullest 
information of the state of affairs in America, as well as of the temper and dis- 
position of the people.. It was also evident, that his discernment was equal to 
the forming a just estimate of things, and there could scarcely be a suspicion of 
partiality in favor of any measure which could tend to American independence, 
as the great fortune of his family, if not wholly lost, must be much impaired by 
such an event. Among the remarkable parts of his testimony was an absolute 
negative to the supposition or charge, that any design of independence had been 
formed by the Congress. He declared, that the members composing that body 
had been fairly elected; that they were men of character, capable of conveying 
the sense of America; and that they had actually conveyed the sense of their 
constituents; that the different provinces would be governed by their decisions 
in all events; that the war was levied and carried on by the colonists, merely 
in defence of what they thought their liberties; that the spirit of resistance was 
general, and they believed themselves able to defend their liberties against the 
arms of Great Britain; that the colony of Pennsylvania contained about sixty 
thousand men able to carry arms — that of these, twenty thousand had volun- 
tarily enrolled themselves to serve without pay, and were armed and embodied 
before the governor's departure. Being questioned as to the nature of that vol- 
unteer force, he said that it included tiie men of best fortune and cliaracter in 
the province, and that it was generally composed of men who were possessed 
of property either landed or otherwise; that an additional body of four thou- 
sand five hundred minute men had since been raised in the province, who were 
to be paid when called out upon service; that they had the means and mate- 
rial of casting iron cannon in great plenty; that they cast brass cannon in Phil- 
adelphia, and they made small arms in great abundance and perfection; that 
the colonies had been dissatisfied with the reception of their former petitions; 
but that they had founded great hopes upon the success of that which he brought 
over, that it was styled the Olive Branch, and that he had been congratulated by 
his friends upon his being the bearer of it; that it was greatly to be feared, that 
if conciliatory measures were not speedily pursued, they would form connexions 
with foreign powers, and that if such connexions were once formed, it would 
be found a matter of great difficulty to dissolve them. Being asked, 'whether 
the people of the different provinces were now in a state of freedom?' he said 
that they thought themselves so; whether 'the most opulent inhabitants would 
not prefer freedom under this country to what they now enjoy? he answered, 
that they would prefer it to any other state of freedom; and that, notwithetand- 



>28 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

mitted as their predecessors on the subject of the stamp- 
act, at length made up their mind to give way. Before the 
examination of Dr. Franklin, indeed, namely, on the 21st 
of January, 1766, a motion had, under their auspices, been 
made in the Commons in a committee of the whole House 
to the following effect; — 'That it is the opinion of the com- 
mittee, that the House be moved, that leave be given to 
bring in a bill to repeal an act passed in the last session of 
parliament, entitled, "An act for granting and applying cer- 
tain stamp, duties, and other duties in the British colonies 
and plantations in America towards farther defraying the 
expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same, 
and for amending such parts of the several acts of parlia- 
ment relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies 
and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and 
recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mention- 
ed."' To this resolution the advocates of the obnoxious 
statute moved an amendment, by which it was proposed to 
leave out the word 'repeal,' and insert 'explain and amend,' 
But this amendment was rejected by a majority of one hun- 
dred and eighteen. 

ing their determination to support the measures of the Congress, they wished 
for a reconciliation with this country He denied i s being an object of the 
Congress to throw off the regulations of their trade, and acknowledged that the 
most thinking men in Pennsylvania were of opinion, that a refusal of the present 
petition would be a bar to all reconcilement. 

It was observed, with some severity of animadversion, as a singular circum- 
stance in the present situation of affairs, what appeared upon this examination, 
that neither the Secretary of State, who received the petition, nor any other 
minister or person in authority, had, since the arrival of the witness in England, 
proposed a single question to him, or desired the smallest information relative to 
the state of affairs in America or the disposition or temper of the people. This 
circumstance was used to give countenance to the charge so often repeated by 
the opposition, that a system had been chalked out for the administration, which 
they were obliged blindly to pursue, and to act in it merely as machines, without 
being at liberty to form an opinion as to justice, eligibility, or consequence. — 
Annual Register, Vol. XIX., 1776. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 29 

On the 24th of February, the above mentioned proceed- 
ings were confirmed by the passing a resolution similar to 
the foregoing one, but with a view, no doubt, of saving the 
dignity of the nation and of his Majesty's government; 
this second resolution was accompanied by others, approv- 
ing of the conduct of such of the colonists as had used 
their best exertions for the enforcement of the stamp-act 
in America; indemnifying those Svho, by reason of the tu- 
mults and outrages in North America, had not been able to 
procure stamped paper since the passing of the act for lay_ 
ing certain duties on stamps in the colonies, and had incur- 
red penalties and forfeitures, by writing, ingrossing, or 
printing on paper, vellum, or parchment, not duly stamped, 
as required by the said act.' A bill, founded on these reso- 
lutions, was accordingly brought into the House. This 
bill, after warm debates, passed both Houses of Parliament, 
and received the royal assent on the 16th of March, 1766. 
The ostensible grounds for the adoption of this measure, 
as expressed by preamble to the act, was the inexpediency 
of the tax on stamps, and by way of guardedly reserving 
the main point in question, namely, the right of the British 
parliament to impose internal taxes on the colonies, the re- 
peal act was accompanied by a declaratory act in which 
it was asserted, 'that the parliament had, and of right ought 
to have, power to bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever.' 
This broad and unqualified claim on the part of the British 
legislature, was little calculated to satisfy such of the Amer- 
ican colonists as had maintained the struggle against the 
British misistry upon deep and well considered principle. 
These, no doubt, regarded it with suspicion and dislike, as 
containing the germ of future encroachments upon their 
rights and privileges. But it seems to have made little im- 

On the 24, Feb. what proceedings were confirmed? 
What right was reserved? 

n 



30 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

pression upon the minds of the American public. In their 
joy for the repeal of the stamp-act, and in their eagerness 
to resume their ordinary occupations, the colonists regarded 
it as a harmless sally of wounded pride, and cheerfully re- 
newed their commercial intercourse with the mother country. 
But the evil genius of Britain still fostered in the cabinet 
the idea of raising a revenue in America. Lord Rocking- 
ham having been superseded by the Duke of Grafton, 
Charles Townsend, the then chancellor of the exchequer, 
brought into the House of Commons, in the year 1767, a 
bill, which was quickly passed into a law, for granting du- 
ties in the British colonies on glass, paper, painters' colors? 
and tea. This proceeding again kindled a blaze through- 
out the provinces. In their estimation, it proved that the 
declaratory act was not intended to be a dead letter, and it 
gave rise to bold and acute discussions as to the distinction 
between tax-bills and bills for the regulation of trade. To 
add to the alarm of the colonists, a board of commissioners 
of customs was established at Boston; which step convin- 
ced them that the British government intended to harass 
them with a multiplicity of fiscal oppressions. They there- 
fore again had recourse to petitions, remonstrances, and 
non-importation agreements. The seizure of the sloop 
Libertyj belonging to Mr. Hancock, a popular leader, for 
an infringement of the revenue laws, incited the populace 
of Boston to renewed acts of violence, which drove the 
commissioners of the customs to take shelter in Castle Wil- 
liam. To suppress this spirit of insubordination, his Ma- 
jesty's ministers stationed some armed vessels in the har- 
bor, and quartered two regiments of foot in the town 

How were the Americans affected, by the repeal of the stamp act? 

In 1767, what kindled a blaze in America? 

What added to the alarm? 

What excited the populace of Boston? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 31 

of Boston. The intention of the British government to 
send this force to Boston having been announced, the select- 
men of ninety-six towns of the State of Massachusetts, met 
at Faneuil Hall, in that town; but this assembly, which had 
excited great alarm among the friends of government, mere- 
ly recommended moderate measures, and then dissolved 
itself. The day after the breaking up of this convention, 
the troops arrived, and landed without opposition under 
the protection of the guns of the armed vessels in the har- 
bor. 

The intelligence of the refractory spirit thus manifested 
by the inhabitants of Boston, produced such irritation in 
the British parliament, that in February, 1769, both Houses 
concurred in an address to his Majesty, prompting him to 
vigorous measures against all persons guilty of what they 
were pleased to denominate treasonable acts ; and beseech- 
ing him, in pursuance of the powers contained in an obso- 
lete statute of the 35th of Henry VHI., to seize the offen- 
ders, and cause them to be tried by a special commission 
within the realm of Great Britain. This imprudent sug- 
gestion was encountered by strong resolutions on the part 
of the provincial assemblies ; and the colonists again had 
recourse to non-importation agreements, and, in some in- 
stances, sent back to Great Britain cargoes of goods which 
had actually arrived. Thusthe distresses of the British man- 
ufacturers were renewed; and ministers were induced, by 
their earnest remonstrances, to repeal all the newly im- 
posed duties, except that on tea. This reservation being a 
practical assertion of the right of parliament to impose in- 



VV^hat meeting was held at Faneuil Hall? 

W^hat were their proceedings? 

In 1769, what was done in the British Parliament? 

What was done in the colonies? 

What effect had these proceedings in England? 



32 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ' 

ternal taxes on the American States, was very odious to the 
colonists, who, however, relaxed their associations so far as 
to allow the importation of all articles except tea, the use 
of which commodity they forbore, or supplied themselves 
with it by smuggling. 



SECTION VI. 

PETITION AND REMONSTRANCE, 1773. 

Thus was tranquillity restored to most of the colonies. 
But the presence of the troops in the town of Boston was 
a perpetual source of irritation in the province of Massa- 
chusetts. The Bostonians regarded the soldiers with an evil 
eye, as the instruments of tyranny designed to be used for 
the destruction of their liberties, and availed themselves of 
every opportunity which occurred to annoy and insult them- 
In resisting a violent act of aggression, a party of the mili- 
tary were obliged to fire on the populace, of whom three 
were killed and five dangerously wounded. In times of 
public excitement, nothing is more irritating to the popu- 
lace, and nothing more painful to men of cultivated minds^ 
than the interference of the military. When that interfer- 
ence is attended with fatal consequences, the frenzy of the 
people rises to the utmost height. Such was the case with 
the inhabitants of Boston. On hearing of the melancholy 
event, some obscure individuals caused the drums to beat 
to arms, and the townsmen assembled to the amount of 
some thousands. They were, however, happily appeased 
by the intervention of several patriotic leaders, whose zeal 
was allayed by prudence, and in consequence of whose in- 
terference with the Lieutenant-Governor the obnoxious 

What was a source of irritation to the Bostonians? 

What caused a public excitement? 

What was tlie consequence of this excitement? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 33 

troops were sent out of the town. Artful means were, how- 
ever, resorted to for the purpose of keeping alive their re- 
sentment. On the morning of the day appointed for the 
burial of the slain, most of the shops in Boston were shut. 
The bells of that town, of Charlestown, and Koxbury, rang 
out muffled peals. Mournful processions moving from the 
houses of the murdered dead, as they who had fallen by 
the fire of the military were denominated, united with the 
corpses at the spot where they had met their fate. Here 
forming into a body, they marched six a-breast, followed by 
the carriages of the gentry, through the main streets to the 
place of interment. 

Immediately after the affray, which was productive of 
such sad consequences. Captain Preston, the officer who 
commanded the party who had fired upon the people, had 
been committed to prison, together with a number of private 
soldiers who were implicated in that act. The firing had 
taken place on the 5th of March, and though the trial of the 
accused did not take place till the following November, there 
might have been reason to apprehend that, in appearing, for 
1 decision on a case of life and death before aBoston jury, they 
would run the greatest hazard of falling victims to infuriated 
prejudice. But, in this instance, the Bostonians gave evi- 
dence of their English descent. In capital cases Englishmen, 
in modern times at least, have almost uniformly exercised an 
impartial administration of the law. Such was the temper 
which was manifested by the court and jury on the trial of 
Captain Preston and his comrades. After a patient investiga- 
tionof the case, all the prisoners were acquitted of murder, 
and two being found guilty of manslaughter, were immedi- 
ately burnt in the hand and discharged. It is a fact not to be 
omitted, that they were defended, and zealously defended, 

Describe the interment. 

In wliat did the Bostonians give evidence of tlieir English descent? 



34 AJ\IERICAN REVOLUTION. 

by the celebrated John Adams and Josiah Quincy, than 
whom there did not exist more ardent advocates of the cause 
of American freedom.* The former of these gentlemen, in 
warning the jury against giving way to popular impres- 
sions, expressed himself in the following energetic terms: — 
'The law, in all vicissitudes of government, fluctuations of 
the passions, or flights of enthusiasm, will preserve a steady, 
undeviating course; it will not bend to the uncertain wishes, 
imaginations, and wanton tempers of men. To use the 
words of a great and worthy man, a patriot and a hero, an 
enlightened friend to mankind, and a martyr to liberty — I 
mean Algernon Sidney — who, from his earliest infancy, 
sought a tranquil retirement under the shadow of the tree 
of liberty, with his tongue, his pen, and his sword, — "The 
law," says he, "no passion can disturb. It is void of desire 
and fear, lust and anger. It is meiis sine affectu; written 
reason; retaining some measure of the divine perfection. 
It does not enjoin that which pleases a weak, frail man, but, 
without any regard to persons, commands that which is 
good, and punishes evil in all, whether rich or poor, high 
or low. It is deaf, inexorable, inflexible." Yes,' said Mr. 
Adams, 'on the one hand, it is inexorable to the cries and 
lamentations of the prisoners ; on the other, it is deaf, deaf 
as an adder, to the clamors of the populace.' 

Notwithstanding this firmness on the part of the counsel 
for the prisoners, and notwithstanding the impartiality of 
the jury and of the judge, which latter, in his summing up 

* It is also a fact worthy of notice, that the counsel for the crown, Samuel 
duincy, Esq. Solicitor-General, was the brother of Josiah Cluincy, and on the 
termination of the siege of Boston, in 1776, he left the country with other loy- 
alists, and held the office of attorney for the crown in the island of Antigua, untH 
his death in 1789. 

Who defended Captain Preston Sfcl 
What did Mr. Adams say to the jury? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 36 

on the trial of Captain Preston, did not hesitate to say, — 'I 
feel myself deeply affected that this affair turns out so much 
to the shame of the town in general,' ministers took advan- 
tage of the disturbed state of the public mind, by making it 
a pretext for rendering the governor and judges of Massa- 
chusetts independent of the province, by transferring the 
payment of their salaries from the assembly to the crown. 
In consequence of this proceeding. Governor Hutchinson, 
who had never been popular, became still more than ever 
an object of dislike. Such being the disposition of the peo- 
ple of Massachusetts towards their chief magistrate, their 
indignation against him was raised to the highest pitch in 
the year 1773 by an incident, the consequences of which 
had a most unhappy aspect on the fortunes of Great Brit- 
ain. The servants of government naturally look with a 
jealous eye, upon the bold asserters of popular rights; and 
as naturally imagine that they shall most gratify their 
masters by the recommendation of a steady and active re- 
sistance against what they are apt to deem the encroach- 
ments of popular claims. In this spirit Mr. Hutchinson and 
Mr. Oliver, the former the Governor and the latter Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of the colony of Massachusetts, had ad- 
dressed some letters to individuals who had put them into 
the hands of his Majesty's ministers, in which letters they 
vituperated the Am.erican patriots, called upon government 
to adopt more vigorous measures than they had hitherto 
done in support of their authority, recommended restraints 
upon liberty and an infringement of charters, and even the 
Hakingoff'of the principal opponents to British domina- 
tion. These letters having come into the possession of Dr. 
Franklin, he thought it his duty, as agent of the House of 



Wliat did the judge say? 
' Wliat advantage did ministers take of llie disturbed state of t lie public mind T 



36 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

Representatives of Massachusetts, to send them to his con- 
stituents. Their perusal excited, as might have been ex- 
pected, the indignation of the assembly, the members of 
which unanimously resolved, ' That the tendency and de- 
sign of the said letters was to overthrow the constitution of 
this government, and to introduce arbitrary power into the 
province ;' and, moreover, passed a vote, ' that a petition 
should be immediately sent to the King, to remove the Gov- 
ernor, Hutchinson, and the Lieutenant-Governor, Oliver, 
forever from the government of the province.' Dr. Frank- 
lin, after having transmitted the petition in question to 
Lord Dartmouth, the then Colonial Secretary, appeared to 
support it in person at the Council Chamber on the 11th of 
January, 1774; but, finding that he was to be encountered 
by counsel employed on behalf of the accused functionaries, 
he prayed that the hearing of the case might be adjourned 
for the space of three weeks, which was granted him. In the 
mean time speculation was all alive as to the means by 
which Dr. Franklin had obtained possession of the letters; 
and a Mr. Whateley and a Mr. Temple, both connected 
with the colonial office, mutually suspecting each other of the 
unfaithful communication of them, a correspondence took 
place between those gentlemen, which ended in a duel, in 
which Mr. Whateley was dangerously wounded. For the 
prevention of further mischief of this sort. Dr. Franklin 
published, in the ' Public Advertiser,' a letter exonerating 
both the combatants from blame in this case, and taking 
the whole responsibility of the procuring the documents on 



What raised the people's indignation to the highest pitch in 1773? 

What was resolved in the House of Representatives of Massachusetts? 

To wliom was the petition sent in London? 

Between wliom was a duel fought? 

What was the occasion of this duel? 

What did Dr. Franklin do to prevent further miacliief ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 37 

himself. When the Doctor appeared again before the 
council in support of the Massachusetts petition, he was as- 
sailed by Mr. Wedderburne, who acted for the Governor 
and the Lieutenant-Governor, in terms of most elaborate 
abuse. 'The letters,' said the caustic advocate, 'could not 
have come to Dr. Franklin by fair means. The writers 
did not give them to him, nor yet did the deceased corres- 
pondent. Nothing, then, will acquit Dr. Franklin of the 
charge of obtaining them by fraudulent or corrupt means, 
for the most malignant of purposes; unless he stole them 
from the person that stole them. This argument is irrefra- 
gable. I hope, my Lords, you will mark and brand the 
man, for the honor of this country, of Europe, and of man- 
kind. Private correspondence has hitherto been held sa- 
cred in times of the greatest party rage, not only in poli- 
tics, but religion. He has forfeited all the respect of socie- 
ties and of men. Into what companies will he hereafter go 
with an unembarrassed face, or the honest intrepidity of 
virtue? Men will watch him with a jealous eye — they 
will hide their papers from him, and lock up their escru- 
toirs. He will henceforth esteem it a libel to be called a 
man of letters — liomo trium liter arum.* But he not only 
took away the letters from one brother, but kept himself 
concealed till he nearly occasioned the murder of the other. 
It is impossible to read his account, expressive of the cool- 
est and most deliberate malice, without horror. Amidst these 
tragical events, of one person nearly murdered, of another 
answerable for the issue, of a worthy governor hurt in his 
dearest interests, the flite of America in suspense, — here 
is a man, who, with the utmost insensibility of remorse, 

* Fur, tliicf. 
What did Mr. Wedderburne say of tlie doctor? 



38 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

stands up and avows himself the author of all. I can com- 
pare it only to Zanga in Dr. Young's 'Revenge' — 

« Know, then, 'twas — I; 

I forged the letter; I disposed the picture. 
I hated, I despised, and I destroy.' 

I ask, my Lords, whether the revengeful temper attributed, 
by poetic fiction only, to the bloody African, is not surpas- 
sed by the coolness and apathy of the wily American?' 
Less fervid eloquence than this of Mr. Wedderburne's 
would have been sufficient to sway the decision of the 
council, who declared the petition of the Massachusetts as- 
sembly to be scandalous and vexatious. Franklin was dis- 
missed from the office which he held of postmaster-general 
of the colonies. Wedderburne was afterwards advanced 
in his profession, till he attained the chancellorship and a 
peerage; and George III. lost thirteen provinces. Till this 
moment Franklin had labored for conciliation; but though, 
during the time of the hearing of the arguments before the 
council, he preserved his countenance unmoved, the insults 
of Wedderburne so exasperated his feelings, that when he 
left the council-room he declared to his friend Dr. Priestley, 
who accompanied him on this memorable occasion, that he 
would never again put on the clothes which he then wore 
till he had received satisfaction. He dressed himself in 
this ' well-saved ' suit when he signed at Paris the treaty 
which forever deprived the crown of Great Britain of its 
dominion over the United States. It is only within these 
seven years that it has been ascertained, that Governor 
Hutchinson's letters were put into Franklin's hands by a 
Dr. Williamson, who, without any suggestion on his part, 

How was the doctor affected? 
What did he say to Dr. Priestly? 
Who gave him the letters? 



AMKKICAN REVOLUTION. 39 

hud procurcil ihcm by stratugcm iVoiii tlio oiTjco where 
they had been deposited.'* 



SECTION VII. 

BOSTON rOUT-ACT, AND llKl'KAL 01' THE CHARTER OF MA8 
SACMlUSETTtr^. 

The dotcrininatioii of the colonists to use no tea which 
had paid duty Avas so generally persevered in, that seven 
teen millions ol' pounds of that commodity were accumu- 
lated in the warehouses of the East India Company. With 
a view of getting rid of this stock, and at the same time of 
aiding ministers in their project of taxing the North Amer- 
ican colonies, the company proposed that a law should ])e 
passed authorizing them to receive a drawback of the full 
import duties on all teas which they should export. To 
this proposal the British government agreed, in hopes that, 
as by this arrangement the colonists, on paying the duty 
of three-pence per [n)uiul ou the huuling of the tea in their 
harbors, would be able to buy it at a cheaper rate than they 
could do from the contr<^iband dealers, their patriotic scru- 
ples wouUl bo silenced by their love of gain. In this no- 
tion, however, minister were mistaken. Strong resolutions 
were entered into throughout the provinces, declaring, that 
whosoever should aid or abet in landing or vending the tea 
which was expecteil, ought to be regarded as an enemy to 

* This curious fact is stated, witli many partiiuIarH, in a memoir of Di . 
Williamson, by Dr. Uosack, of New- York. 



What determination was persevered in? 

What wastlic consequence of this determination? 

What proposal did the East India Company make to the ministers? 

Wliat resolutions were entered into throughout the provinces? 



40 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

his country ; and that committees should be appointed to 
wait on the agents of the East India Company, and to 
demand of them a resignation of their appointments. Ter- 
rified by these proceedings, a great majority of the con- 
signees complied with this requisition ; but in Massachu- 
setts these agents, being the relatives and friends of the 
governor, and expecting to be supported by the military 
force stationed in Boston, were determined to land and offer 
for sale the obnoxious commodity. *As the tea ships were 

* Notifications were immediately posted up, inviting every friend to his 
country to meet forthwith and concert united resistance to the arbitrary meas- 
ures of Britain. A crowded meeting was held, and a resolution adopted, "that 
the tea should not be landed, that no duty should be paid, and that it should be 
sent back in the same vessel.' A watch was also organized to prevent it from 
being secretly brought on shore. A short time was then allowed for the cap- 
tain to prepare to return home with liis cargo. Governor Hutchinson refused to 
grant him the requisite permission to pass the castle. Other vessels, laden with 
tea, arrived. The agitation increased, and on the 18th of December, the inhab- 
itants of Boston and the adjoining towns assembled to determine what course 
should be pursued. At this important meeting, Josiah Ciuincy, desirous that 
the consequences of the measures to be adopted should be first seriously con- 
templated, thus addressed his fellow citizens: — ' It is not, Mr. Moderator, the 
spirit that vapors within these walls that will sustain us in the hour of need. 
The proceedings of this day will call forth events which will make a very dif- 
ferent spirit necessary for our salvation. Wlioever supposes that shouts and 
hosannas will terminate our trials, entertains a childish fancy. We must be 
grossly ignoran of the value of the prize for which we contend; we must be 
equally ignorant of the power of those who have combined against us; we 
must be blind to that inveterate malice and insatiable revenge which actuate our 
enemies, abroad and in our bosom, to hope that we shall end this controversy 
without the sharpest conflicts — or to flatter ourselves that popular resolves, pop- 
ular harangues, and popular acclamations, will vanquish our foes. Let us con- 
sider the issue; let us look to the end; let us weigh and deliberate, before we 
advance to those measures which must bring on the most trying and terrible 
struggle this country ever saw.' In the evening the question was put, ' Do you 
abide by your former resolution to prevent the landing of the tea?' The vote 
was unanimous in the affirmative. Application was again made to the governor 
for a pass. After a short delay, his refusal was communicated to the assembly. 
Instantly a person, disguised like an Indian, gave the war whoop from the gal- 
lery. At this signal, the people rushed out of the house and hastened to the 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 41 

lying in the harbor, ready to land their cargoes, the lead- 
ing patriots, apprehensive that if the tea were once ware- 
housed, the opposition of the people to its sale might grad- 
ually give way, and deeming decisive measures absolutely 
necessary in the present circumstances, boarded the ves- 
sels, and emptied the tea-chests into the water. 

The British ministry rejoiced that this outrage had oc- 
curred, and that it had occurred in the town of Boston, 
which they had long regarded as the focus of sedition, from 
whence a spirit of resistance to British authority was dif- 
fused throughout the colonies. It now lay at their mercy, 
as having been guilty of a flagrant delinquency, and as 
meriting exemplary punishment. Determined to chastise 
its mutinous inhabitants for their numerous delinquencies, 
and to bend them to submission. Lord North, then prime 
minister, on the 14th of March, made a motion in the House 
of Commons, ' That leave be given to bring in a bill for the 
immediate removal of the officers concerned in the collec- 
tion and management of his majesty's duties and customs 
from the town of Boston, in the province of Massachusetts 
Bay in North America; and to discontinue the landing and 
discharging, lading and shipping of goods, wares, and mer- 
chandise, at the said town of Boston, or within the harbor 
thereof.' The deep silence which followed the annuncia- 
tion of this motion marked the sense of the House as to the 

wharves. About twenty persons, in the dress of Moliawks, boarded the vessels, 
and, protected by the crowd on shore, broke open three hundred and forty-two 
chests of tea and emptied their contents into the ocean. Their purpose accom- 
plislied, the multitude returned without tumult to their habitations. 

Hale's United States. 



Vy^hat became of the tea? 

Who was prime minister? 

What motion did he make to the House of Commons? 

How was this motion received in the House? 

E 



42 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

serious consequences which it involved ; but it met with 
no opposition, except on the part of Alderman Sawbridge 
and Mr. Dowdswell. Even Colonel Barre, the great advocate 
of the rights of the colonies, spoke in favor of it, and it pas- 
sed without a division. No debate occurred on the first 
reading of the bill on the 1 8th of March ; and the second 
reading, which took place on the 21st of the same month, 
was only interrupted by a few adverse remarks made by 
Mr. R. Fuller. On the 25th, a petition was presented 
against the bill, signed by several natives of North Amer- 
ica, at that time resident in London; after the reading of 
which the House discussed its provision in committee. Mr. 
Fuller availed himself of this occasion to move, that, in- 
stead of the closing of the port of Boston, which measure, 
he argued, would be detrimental, not only to American, but 
also, to British interests, a fine should be imposed on 
the offending community. This amendment was opposed 
by the prime minister, who said that he was no enemy to 
lenient measures, but that it was evident that, with respect 
to the inhabitants of Boston, resolutions of censure and 
warning would avail nothing, — that it was then the time 
to stand out, to defy them, to proceed with firmness and 
without fear, and that they would never reform till severe 
measures were adopted. With a lamentable want of fore- 
sight his lordship thus proceeded: *^I hope that we every 
one feel that this is the common cause of us all; and una- 
nimity will go halfway to the obedience of the people of 
Boston to this bill. The honorable gentleman tells us, that 
the act will be a piece of waste paper, and that an army 
will be required to put it into execution. The good of this 
act is, that four or five frigates will do the business without 

On the 25th what petition was presented? 
What was Mr. Fuller's motion? 
What did the prime minister say? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 43 

any military force.' With a similar blindness to futurity, 
Mr. Charles Jenkinson exclaimed, ' We have gone into a 
very expensive war for the attainment of America; the 
struggle which we shall now have to keep it will be of lit- 
tle expense.' Thus rash and short-sighted are statesmen 
when their passions obtain the mastery over their judg- 
ment! After a lengthened debate, in the course of which 
the bill was powerfully opposed by Mr. Burke and Mr. 
Dowdswell, it passed the Commons with but very few neg- 
atives; and having been hurried through the House of 
Lords, it finally received the royal assent, and was passed 
into a law. 

The Boston port-act was speedily followed by still more 
alarming measures. The free constitutions of the Ameri- 
can provinces had presented strong impediments against 
the views of his majesty and his ministers. Among these, 
the charter of Massachusetts was pre-eminent for the liber- 
ality of its principles. Being well aware, that whilst this 
charter subsisted he could never effectuate his designs. 
Lord North determined to set it aside. When Charles IL 
deemed it necessary for his purposes to abrogate the fran- 
chises of the city of London, and of other corporate towns 
in England, he attacked their charters by quo warrantos; 
but the process of law is tedious, and in this case the issue 
of legal proceedings might be uncertain. The minister, 
therefore, decided upon bringing the omnipotence of parlia- 
ment to bear upon the contumacious inhabitants of the 
oifending colony. Accordingly, on the 28th of March, 
1774, on the allegation that an executive power was want- 
ing in the province of Massachusetts, and that it was highly 
necessary to strengthen the hands of its magistracy, he 

VVliat was said by Charlea Jenkinson? 

Who opposed the bill? 

What were those measures by which the Boston port-act was followed? 



44 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

proposed to bring in a bill, authorizing the governor for 
the time being to act as a justice of the peace, and empow- 
ering him to appoint at his will and pleasure the officers 
throughout the whole civil authority, such as the provost 
marshal and the sheriffs ,• to which latter officers was to be 
delegated the nomination of juries, who had formerly been 
elected by the freeholders and inhabitants of the several 
towns of the province. It was also his lordship's inten- 
tion to vest in the crown the appointment of the council, 
which, under the provisions of the ancient constitution, had 
heretofore been elected by the general court. The latter 
provision was introduced into the bill at the suggestion of 
Lord Gorge Germaine, who was pleased to say, that ' he 
would not have men of a mercantile cast every day collect- 
ing themselves together, and debating about political mat- 
ters; he would have them follow their occupations as mer- 
chants, and not consider themselves as ministers of that 
country.' In pursuance of this suggestion, which was 
thankfully received by the premier, there were added to 
the bill severe restrictions on the holding of public town 
meetings. Leave was given to bring in the bill without a 
single objection, except on the part of Mr. Byng, the mem- 
ber for Middlesex ; and though, in its progress through the 
House of Commons, many weighty arguments were urged 
against it, especially by Governor Pownall and Mr. Dowd- 
swell, it was carried on the 2d of May, by a majority of 
239 against 64 voices. In the House of Lords it was 
severely animadverted upon; but a division of 92 to 20 
evinced that the majority of the peers of the realm entered 
heartily into the views of the ministry as to coercing the 
American colonies. The Duke of Richmond, however, 
and eleven other peers, protested against it for the follow- 



What did this bill provide? 

Who opposed it? 

Who in tlie House of Lords protested against it? 



AMERICAJ^ REVOLUTION. 45 

ing reasons : ' Because, before the rights of the colony of 
Massachusetts Bay, which they derive from their charter, 
are taken away, the definite legal offence by which a for- 
feiture of their charter is incurred ought to have been 
clearly stated, and the parties heard in their own defence ; 
and the mere celerity of a decision against it will not recon- 
cile the minds of the people to that mode of government 
which is to be established upon its ruins. On the general 
allegations of a declaratory preamble, the rights of any 
public body may be taken away, and any visionary scheme 
of government substituted in their place. By this bill, the 
governor and council are invested with dangerous powers, 
unknown to the British constitution, and with which the king 
himself is not intrusted. By the appointment and removal 
of the sheriff at pleasure, they have the means of returning 
such juries as may best suit with the gratification of their 
passions and their interests; the life, liberty, and property 
of the subject are put into their hands without control. The 
weak, inconsistent, and injudicious measures of the minis- 
try have given new force to the distractions of America, 
which, on the repeal of the stamp-act, were subsiding; have 
revived dangerous questions, and gradually estranged the 
aflfections of the colonies from the mother country. To 
render the colonies permanently advantageous, they must 
be satisfied with their condition, that satisfaction there is 
no chance of restoring, but by recurring to the principles 
on which the repeal of the samp-act was founded.' 

The Boston port-act, and the act for remodeling the 
Constitution of Massachusetts, were strong and severe 
measures, — measures which, it might have been conceived, 
would have set at rest any common jealousy of popular 
rights, and satisfied any ordinary thirst for vengeance. — 
But, whilst these acts were in progress, the British prime 

Why did the duke and others protest against this bill? 

e2 



46 ADIERICAN REVOLUTION. 

minister held in reserve another phial of wrath to pour on 
the heads of the refractory colonists. On the 15th of 
April, he rose in his place and proposed a third bill, which, 
he hoped, would effectually secure the province of Massa- 
chusetts Bay from future disturbances. The tenor of this 
bill, which bore the plausible title of a bill 'for the impar- 
tial administration of justice,' was, that 'in case of any per- 
son being indicted for murder or any other capital offence 
committed in the province of Massachusetts in aiding the 
magistracy, the governor might send the person so indicted 
to another colony or to Great Britain for trial," — the act to 
continue in force for four years. It was observed, that 
whilst Lord North was moving the House for leave to 
bring in this bill, and was attempting, in a short speech, to 
enforce its necessity, his voice faltered. This is not mat- 
ter of surprise. His lordship was a good tempered and hu- 
mane man; and it must have been repugnant to his better 
feelings to become the organ for the proposing of such 
atrocious measures. The introduction of this bill roused 
in opposition to it the energies of Colonel Barre, who had, 
however, unwillingly, acquiesced in the preceding laws of 
coercion. He saw clearly the drift of the proposed statute, 
and was well aware that the colonists would not submit to 
it. ' You may,' said he, 'think that a law founded on this 
motion will be a protection to the soldier who imbrues his 
hand in the blood of his fellow-subjects. I am mistaken if 
it will. Who is to execute it? He must be a bold man, 
indeed, who will make the attempt. If the people are so 
exasperated, that it is unsafe to bring the man who has in- 
jured them to trial, let the governor who withdraws him 

What did the prime minister propose on the loth of April? 
What was the tenor of this bill? 
Who opposed the bill? 
What did he say? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 47 

from justice look to himself. The people will not endure 
it ; they would no longer deserve the reputation of being 
descended from the loins of Englishmen if they did endure 
it.' Such was the bold language of an experienced soldier, 
who knew America well. But this warning voice was 
raised in vain. The views of the Court were adopted by 
both houses of parliament, and this last and most unconsti- 
tutional measure of coercion was passed into a law. 

It might seem just and equitable that compensation should 
be made by a delinquent community for property destroyed 
within its precincts, and not unreasonable that a town 
which had perpetrated an open violation of fiscal law should 
be deprived, till it was reduced to a better spirit, of the pri- 
vileges of a port. Nor is it improbable that, had the 
British ministry proceeded no farther in their measures of 
vengeance, the other commercial cities of the colonies woukl 
have regarded the humiliation of the people of Boston with 
indifference. But the attack upon the charter of Massa 
chusetts filled the bosom of every North American with in- 
dignation and alarm. Charters they had been accustomed 
to consider as inviolable compacts between the king and 
his people; but if these could be annulled and abrogated 
by parliament, what province could deem its constitution 
safe from violation? And in the provision for the trial in 
Great Britain of individuals accused of murders committed 
in America, they saw an indemnity for every one who 
might avail himself of a plausible pretext to put to death 
any person who might be obnoxious to government. Sucli 
were the feelings of the colonists. But, on this side of the 
Atlantic, these invasions of the liberties of fellow subjects 
were regarded with unconcern, and even with satifaction. 
The people of Great Britain generally care little about the 
internal state of the distant possessions of the crown.— - 

What filled the Americans with indignation and alarm? 
How did the people in England view the transactions? 



48 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

They at that time looked up to parliament with awe, as a 
threefold body vested with the attribute of omnipotence; 
and they made themselves a party in the quarrel, reprobat- 
ing the refractory spirit of the colonies as a rebellion against 
the sovereign authority, of which they imagined that 
every individual Briton had a share. 



SECTION VIII. 

REMOVAL OF THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT FROM BOSTON. 

When intelligence arrived at Boston of the strong pro- 
ceedings of the British parliament and government, the 
patriots of Massachusetts cast an anxious eye on the sister 
colonies. They were well aware that, if left to themselves 
at this awful crisis, they must succumb to the power of the 
mother country ; but they entertained hopes that a union of 
the provinces against what they regarded as ministerial op- 
pression, would rescue their common liberties from destruc- 
tion. To effect this union they used the utmost exertions 
of activity, skill, and prudence. The opposition to the 
stamp-act and to the duty on tea, had been carried on by 
means of committees of correspondence, which had estab- 
lished links of connexion throughout the whole of the 
British dependencies in North America. Of this organi- 
zation they now availed themselves with the utmost prompt- 
itude ; and, by the mission of agents of consummate abili- 
ty, they roused the inhabitants of every district of conti- 
nental America to a sense of their wrongs. Public meet- 
ings were held in every township of every province, in 

On the receipt of this intelligence what did the patriots of Massachusetts do? 

What were they well aware of? 

What did they entertain hopes of? 

Of what organization did the patriots of Massachusetts now avail them- 

What did these committees do? [selves? 

Where were public meetings held? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 49 

which it was resolved to make common cause with the peo- 
ple of Massachusetts, and to resist the claim of the British 
parliament to tax them without their consent. The steps 
to be taken in pursuance of these resolutions, they unani- 
mously agreed to refer to a general congress, the speedy 
summoning of which they declared to be absolutely neces- 
sary to the public safety. 

In the mean time. General Gage had arrived at Boston, 
invested with the united authority of governor and com- 
mander-in-chief of the forces. He was speedily followed 
by two regiments of foot, and by various other detach- 
ments, which gradually swelled his garrison to a number 
which was deemed amply sufficient to overawe the malcon- 
tents, and to enforce the execution of the obnoxious acts. — 
Soon after his arrival, he announced his intention of hold- 
ing the general court of the colony at Salem after the 1st 
of June, the day appointed by the statute of the commence- 
ment of the operation of the Boston port-act. The blow 
thus struck seemed to common observers to be fatal to the 
inhabitants of that devoted town. Property was instantly 
depreciated to the lowest scale of value. Houses were de- 
serted by their tenants; warehouses were emptied and aban- 
doned; the quays were deserted; silence reigned in the 
ship-yards, and thousands of artificers wandered through 
the streets destitute of employ. But the sufferers bore 
their distresses with a sullen resolution. Not a murmur 
was heard against the democratic leaders, who might in a 
certain sense be regarded as the authors of their miseries ; 



What were the resolutions of these meetings? 

Who arrived in Boston? 

With what authority was he invested? 

By what was he followed? 

Where did he propose to hold the general court? 

How did the Bostonians bear their distresses? 



50 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

but their execrations of the British parliament were loud 
and violent. Contributions poured in from all quarters for 
their relief; and they were comforted by letters of condo- 
lence in their distresses, and of thanks for their steadiness. 
The inhabitants of Marblehead offered to accommodate the 
merchants of Boston with their warehouses, and the peo- 
ple of Salem, in an address to the governor, declared that 
they could not 'indulge one thought to seize on wealth, and 
raise their fortunes on the ruin of their suffering neighbors.' 



SECTION IX. 

FIRST ACTS OF THE ASSEMBLY AT CONCORD. 

On the 7th of June, the governor held the general court 
of Massachusetts, at Salem; but finding that the popu- 
lar leaders were prepared, on the first day of its meeting, 
to carry some most obnoxious motions, he promptly dissol- 
ved the assembly. This, however, he did not effect before 
it had nominated five deputies to meet the committees of 
other provinces at Philadelphia on the ensuing 1st of Sep- 
tember. 

The more indeed, he exerted himself to embarrass the 
proceedings of the patriots, the more decidedly did he find 
himself baffled by their vigilance and their ingenuity. — 
When, according to the provisions of the coercive statutes, 
he issued a proclamation prohibiting the calling of any 
town meetings after the 1st of August, 1774, an assembly 

By what were they relieved and condoled? 

What did the inhabitants of Marblehead do? 

What did the people of Salem declare? 

What occurred on the 7th June? 

Why did the governor dissolve the assembly? 

What was done previously? 

How was the governor baffled? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 61 

of this kind was, nevertheless, held ; and, on his summon- 
ing the selectmen to aid him to disperse it, he was encoun- 
tered by the following notable specimen of special pleading, 
that the holding of the meeting to which he objected was 
no violation of the Act of Parliament, for that only pro- 
hibited the calling of town meetings, and that no such call 
had been made; a former legal meeting, before the 1st of 
August, ihaving only adjourned themselves from time to 
time.' One consequence of these adjourned meetings was 
a ^solemn league and covenant,' whereby the parties who 
signed it bound themselves 'to suspend all commercial in- 
tercourse with Great Britain until the late obnoxious laws 
were repealed, and the colony of Massachusetts was re- 
stored to its'^chartered rights.' A proclamation by which the 
governor denounced this association as 'unlawful, hostile, 
and traitorous,' was treated with contempt. In another pro- 
clamation, published about this time, 'for the encourage- 
ment of piety and virtue, and for the prevention and punish- 
ing of vice, profaneness, and immorality,' the governor 
made especial mention of the vice of hypocrisy, as a failing 
which the people were admonished to eschew. No doubt, 
the stair of General Gage thought this an excellent satire 
upon the puritanism of the Bostonians. But the joke was 
ill-timed, and severed only to add fuel to the popular mind' 
which was already in a high state of inflammation. When^ 
in the month of August, Gage attempted to organize the 
new constitution of the colony, most of the counsellors 
whom he appointed refused to act, and the juries declined 
to serve under judges nominated by the crown. Dreading 
the most serious consequences from the obstinacy thus 
manifested by the people of Massachusetts, the governor 

What was one consequence of these meetings? 
What did General Gage do in the month of August? 
Why did he not^succeed? 



52 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

thought it prudent to fortify Boston Neck, and to seize the 
powder deposited in the arsenal at Charlestown, which is a 
kind of suburb to Boston.* These measures produced a 
general rising throughout the province, which was with 
difficulty repressed by the prudence of the leading patriots. 
This demonstration drove the governor and his revenue 
officers from the new seat of government to the proscribed 
town of Boston. Whilst these transactions were going on, 
the Congress, or union of several committees, had assem- 
bled at Philadelphia, and, as the first fruits of its delibera- 
tions, issued a declaration, that it ^most thoroughly approved 
the wisdom and fortitude with which opposition to wicked 
ministerial measures had been hitherto established in Mas- 
sachusetts; and recommended perseverance in the same 
firm and temperate conduct, as expressed in the resolutions 
of the delegates from the county of Suffolk.' The tenor of 
these resolutions was, that no obedience was due to the re- 
straining statutes. Emboldened by the approbation of 
Congress to act up to the spirit of these resolutions, a pro- 
vincial assembly, held at Concord, of which jMr Hancock 
was president, after having in vain solicited the governor 
to desist from constructing a fortress at the entrance into 
Boston, in defiance of his Excellency's authority, appointed 
acommittee to draw up apian for the arming of the province. 
The members of this committee did not shrink from the 
discharge of their perilous duty. They gave instructions 
for the organizing of a species of partisans, under the name 

* To which it is now united by a bridge. 

What then did he do? 

What did these measures produce? 

What declaration was issued by the Congress at Philadelphia. 

What effect had it on the people of Massachusetts? 

Who was president of the assembly at Concord? 

What committee was appointed by it? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 53 

of minute men, the command of whom was conferred on 
Jedediah Prebble, Artemas Ward, and Seth Pomeroy, war- 
riors whose puritanical names gave ominous foreboding of 
a determination of purpose and of an obstinacy of valor, 
which their future conduct did not belie. The assembling 
of the militia was delegated to a committee of safety,- and a 
' committee of supply was authorized to expend the sum of 
I 15,000/. sterling, in provisions, military accouterments, and 
' stores, which were accordingly provided, and deposited at 
, Worcester and Concord. At a later meeting of the provincial 
; congress, still bolder measures were adopted. Resolutions 
( were then passed to raise an army of 12,000 men, and del- 
I egates were sent to the adjacent conlonies to urge them to 

' increase these forces to the number of 20,000. It was, 

( . . . 

; moreover, determined that the British troops should be at- 

I tacked if they marched in field equipment beyond Bos- 

I ton Neck. A circular letter was also issued requesting 

the clergy to aid the common cause by their prayers and 

I exhortations. At this crisis the situation of the governor was 

: far from bemg an enviable one. The reins of authority 

I had fallen from his hands, and had been seized by the pro- 

I vincial congress, whose resolutions had throughout the 

I province the force of laws. At the approach of winter he 

experienced the utmost difficulty in procuring materials or 

workmen to construct barracks for the sheltering of his 

I troops. The straw which he purchased in the vicinity of 

the town was set on fire, and the timber which he had 

bought for the king's stores was seized or destroyed. — 

Nor was the spirit of open resistance confined to Boston. 



Who were the commanders of these minute men? 
Where were the provisions 4*c. deposited? 
What measures were adopted at a later meeting? 
Wliat was the governor's situation? 

F 



54 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

In Rhode Is'and the people seized the public battery of 
forty pieces of cannon, and took the castle of Ports- 
mouth, where they obtained a seasonable supply of powder. 



SECTION X. 

OPENING OF THE CONGRESS AT PHILADELPHIA. 

These active measures, which amounted to a direct levy- 
ing of war against the King, were provoked by the rigor 
exercised against the colony of Massachusetts. In the 
meantime, the deputies of eleven provinces had assembled 
in congress at Philadelphia, and were soon joined by dele- 
gates from North Carolina. Peyton Randolph was chosen 
president of this assembly, and Charles Thomson was ap- 
pointed its secretary. After a slight controversy as to the 
mode of voting, which was at length determined to be 
taken by provinces, each province having one vote, the 
members proceeded with the utmost zeal and harmony to 
the arduous business before them. In the first place, they 
issued a declaration of rights, in which, whilst they claimed 
a total exemption from any species of internal taxation 
imposed by the British parliament, they professed their 
willingness to obey all the laws which might bo enacted in 
the mother country for the regulation of trade. They pro- 
tested against the introduction of a standing army into the 
colonies without their consent, as also against the violation 
of their chartered ris^hts in the infringement of their an- 



What was done in Rhode Island? 

VV^hat did these measures amount to? 

What took place in the mean time? 

Who waschosesen president, of this congress? Who Secretary? 

In voting, what mode was adopted? 

What was done in the first place? 

In this declaration, what was claimed? 

What was protested against? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 65 

cient constitutions. Enumerating the several acts by which 
they were aggrieved, they declared that till these acts 
were repealed, they and their constituents would hold no 
commercial intercourse with Britain ; and with a view of 
over-awing the weak and the wavering, and the partisans 
of royal authority among their countrymen, they resolved 
that committees should be chosen in every county, city, 
and town, to observe the conduct of all people touching the 
suspension of trade with the mother country, and to publish, 
in gazettes, the names of those who violated this ordinance, 
as foes to the rights of British America. They also agreed 
upon an address to the British people, vindicating their re- 
sistance to oppression; and two memorials to the West 
India colonies and to the people of Canada, exhorting them 
to unite with their persecuted brethren in a steady opposi- 
tion to the encroachments of arbitary power. In laying 
their grievances before the throne, in a petition to the King, 
they professed sentiments of loyalty to his Majesty's per- 
son and authority; but complained of the miseries which 
had been brought upon them by the mal-administration of 
wicked ministers. 'We ask,' sdid they, 'but for peace, liber- 
ty, and safety. We wish not a diminution of the preroga- 
tive, nor do we solicit the grant of any new right in our 
favor. Your royal authority over us, and our connexion 
with Great Britain, we shall always carefully and zealous- 
ly endeavor to support and maintain.' This address to 
the sovereign concluded in the following pathetic terms. 
*We implore your Majesty, for the honor of AJ.ughty God, 
for your own glory, for the interest of your family, for the 

What was enumerated? What was declared? 
What did they resolve upon? 
Upon what did they agree? 

In laying their grievances before the throne, what did they profess? 

Of what did tliey complain? 

What did they ask for? 

How did their address conclude? 



56 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

safety of your kingdoms and dominions, that, as the loving 
father of your whole people, connected by the same bonds 
of law, loyalty, faith, and blood, though dwelling in various 
countries, you will not suffer the transcendent relation 
formed by these ties to be farther violated by uncertain ex- 
pectation of effects, which if attained, never could compen- 
sate for the calamities through which they must be gain- 
ed.' These various documents were drawn up with great 
judgement and ability; and their dissemination throughout 
the union produced a powerful effect upon the feelings of 
the people, — preparing them for the most strenuous ex- 
ertions in what they deemed to be the cause of justice and 
freedom. Their framers, however, did not rely upon their 
eloquence alone, to produce an effect favorable to their 
cause upon the people of Britain. Their non-importation 
agreements had produced the repeal of the stamp-act, and 
they trusted that the annunciation of similar resolutions 
would produce similar effects as to the removal of their late 
parliamentary grievances. The event proved that they 
were mistaken. The merchants trading to America com- 
posed a small fraction of the British community. A hostile 
ministry was all powerful in parliament — the pride of the 
King was touched — every individual Briton, in whose mouth 
the phrase our colonies was familiar, deemed himself, in 
some sort, sovereign over the North American plantations, 
and a cry almost unanimous was raised throughout the na- 
tion, that the mutinous contemners of the omnipotence of 
the legislature of the parent state must be reduced to obe- 
dience by the strong hand of coercion. 

The Congress, after a session of about eight weeks, and 
after passing a resolution for the calling of another assem- 

What effect had these documents on the people? 
At this time what was the state of feeling in England? 
How long did congress continue in session? 
What resolution was passed before adjournment? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ^7 

bly of the same nature, if necessary, in the ensuing May, 
dissolved themselves; and the members proceeded to fur- 
ther, in their respective provinces, the cause in which they 
were thus decidedly embarked. By their influence, operat- 
ing upon minds ready prepared by perpetual discussions, 
both public and private, of the wrongs of the colonies, the 
recommendations of an assembly, invested with no legal 
authority, obtained the force of laws. The non-intercourse 
agreements were zealously adopted by the great mass of 
the people; and the few who ventured to dissent from the 
general voice, were proscribed as enemies to their country. 



SECTION XL 

ADDRESS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, 9th OF FEBRUARY, 1775. 



When the petition from Congress to the king arrived in 
I England, his Majesty had just met a new parliament, to 
which he had communicated information, in a speech from 
I the throne, 'that a most daring spirit of resistance and dis- 
( obedience to the laws unhappily prevailed in the colony of 
j Massachusetts ;' and at the same time intimated that he 
j had taken the requisite steps to repress it. Notwithstand- 
ing this angry demonstration, hopes were, for a short time, 
entertained by the friends of America, that ministers would 
adopt measures of conciliation. The secretary of state, after 
submitting the petition of the general Congress to the 
cabinet council, presented it to the king, by whom, as he 
reported, it was graciously received, and was intended to 
be laid by him before his two houses of parliament; nu- 
merous petitions from the merchants and manufacturers of 

What obtained the force of laws? 
What did the king say in his speech to parliament? 
How was the petition from CongreM receiTed by tbe king? 
F 2 



oS AMERICAN EEVOLUTION. 

the principal towns in the kingdom, and from the West 
India planters, prayed for the adoption of a more lenient 
policy towards the North American colonies ; all the elo- 
quence of Lord Chatham was exerted in the house of peers 
to effect the same object : yet Lord North was determined 
to proceed in the course of coercion. The Rubicon was 
passed on the 9th of February, 1775, by the presentation 
by both houses of a joint address to the king, in which they 
stated it as their opinion, that 'a rebellion actually existed 
in the province of Massachusetts r and, in the usual style, 
otFered to hazard their lives and fortunes, 'in the mainten- 
ance oi^ the just rights of his Majesty and the two houses of 
parliament/ In support of this address, an addition was 
voted to the military force, of 4,383 rank and file, and 
'ijCMDO seamen. An act was also passed to restrain the 
commerce of the eastern colonies to Great Britain, Ireland, 
and the British West Indies; and to prevent them from 
tishing on the banks of Newfoundland, under certain con- 
ditions, and tor a limited time. The provisions of this act 
were soon afterwards extended to the provinces of New 
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and South Car- 
olina. It is to be remarked, that New York, Delaware, 
and North Carolina, did not on this occasion fall under the 
ban of ministerial interdiction. New York, where the 
government had more influence than in other colonies, had 
been tardy in joining the union ; and Lord North flattered 
himself that, by forbearing to include that and the other 

Who was Lord Cbathani. and what ofhimt 

What can you say ot" Lord North? 

By what was the Kiibicon passed? 

To what is allusion here made? 

In support of this address, what was done? 

What act was also ivisscd? 

To what extent were its proTisions afterwards extended? 

What provinces were unafected by ihisacti 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 69 

two colonies abovementioned in the restraining act, he 
should sow amongst the associated provinces jealousies 
which would dissolve their connexion ; but in this he was 
disappointed. So powerful was the spirit of patriotism in 
America, that the inhabitants of the exempted colonies dis- 
dained to avail themselves of the privileges which were 
' reserved to them, and determined to share in the restric- 
' tions imposed on their brethren; and it was with severe 
mortification that the premier soon afterwards witnessed 
the presentation to the House of Commons of a petition and 
I remonstrance from the assembly of New York, claiming 
I exemption from internal taxation, and protesting against the 
' dependence of governors and judges on the crown for their 
i salaries and emoluments. A hearing had been refused to 
I the petition of Congress, though it was individually signed, 
I under the pretext that it emanated from an illegal meeting. 
The remonstrance of the New York assembly was not liable 
{ to this objection ; but when a motion was made in the House 
! .of Commons that it should be brought up, it was lost by a 
I stratan-em of Lord North. 

j On the 20th of February, 1775, some time previously to 

j the transaction which has just been related, his lordship 

had manifested some cunning, but little wisdom, in propo- 

! sing a resolution to the effect, that when any of the colo- 

] nics or provinces in America should make provision for 

; contributing their proportion to the common defence, and 

for the support of their civil government (such proportion 

to be raised under the authority of the general court or 

general assembly of such province and colony,) ' it will be 

proper to forbear, in respect of such colony or province, to 

( levy any duty or tax, except such duties as may arise for 

the regulation of commerce, which duties are to be carried 

In what was Lord North disappointed? 

By a stratagem of the premier, what was lost? 



60 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



1 



to the account of such colony or province.' The bill found- 
ed on this resolution was violently opposed by certain of 
the prime minister's habitual partisans, who insisted on it 
that the colonies should be taxed directly by the British 
parliament. It was also attacked by the opposition, who 
argued that as it reserved to the British government the 
right of apportioning the respective proportions which the 
provinces should raise for the general service, and left the 
disposal of the sums raised to parliament, it mattered little 
that the immediate application of the scourge of taxation 
should be left to the colonial assemblies, who would regard 
the bill as an insult and a wrong. The opposition made a 
right estimate of the feelings of the Americans. The bill 
passed into a law ; but it was received throughout the Un- 
ion with abhorrence and contempt. 

It was in this session, viz: on the 22d of March, 1775, 
that Mr. Burke made his celebrated speech for conciliation 
with America, — a speech fraught with statesman-like views, 
expressed in language at once temperate and eloquent. — 
At the commencement of this deeply-studied oration, Mr. 
Burke, after observing that all former measures recom- 
mended by the ministry and adopted by parliament had 
served to no other purpose but to keep America in a state 
of agitation, intimated that it had been observed to him by 
an intelligent friend, that instead of limiting himself to 
criticisms or the plans of government, it was highly expe- 
dient that he should produce a plan of his own. Though 
he was aware, said he, that it argues little knowledge to 
hazard plans of government, except from a seat of author- 
ity, yet, as public calamity was a mighty leveler, he would 
now act upon his friend's suggestion. ' My proposition,' 

What bill passed into a law? 

How was it received? 

What celebrated speech was made in the session of 1775? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. G 1 

proceeded he, 'is peace,- not peace through the medium of 
war J nor peace to be hunted through the labyrinth of intri- 
cate and endless negotiations; nor peace to arise out of 
universal discord, fomented from principle in all parts of 
the empire; not peace to depend upon the judicial deter- 
mination of perplexing questions, or the precise marking 
of the shadowy boundaries of a complex government. It 
is simple peace, sought in its natural course and in its ordi- 
nary haunts, — it is peace sought in the spirit of peace, and 
laid in principles purely pacific. I propose by removing 
, the ground of the dilference, and by restoring the former 
unsuspecting confidence of the colonics in the mother coun- 
I try, to give permanent satisfaction to your peo})lc, and, far 
I from a scheme of ruling by discord, to reconcile them to 
I each other in the same act, and by the bond of the very 
( same interest which reconciles them to British govern- 
I ment.' After laying down and enforcing the position that 
( the proposal for reconciliation ought, in consideration of 
her strength, to come from Great Britain, Mr. Burke as- 
( serted, that the plan for conciliation ought to be guided, not 
by abstract theory, but by a regard to circumstances. — 
What, then, were the circumstances of the present case? 
In the first place, the discontented Americans amounted in 
number to two millions, a number which considered in 
mass, could not be regarded ' as a paltry excrescence of the 
State, or a mean dependant, who may be neglected with 
little damage, and provoked with little danger.' But, witli 
the consideration of the population of America, it was 
requisite to combine mature reflection upon other circum- 
stances; as, for instance, the commerce, the agriculture, 

What is the substance of Mr. Burke's rjpeech? 

What was liis first proposition? 

IJow was itsouiiht? By removing and restoring what? 

Wiiat was the number of tlie Americans? 



62 ABIERICAN REVOLUTION. 

and the fisheries of the colonies. As to commerce, Mr. 
Burke proved by documentary evidence, that, at the begin- 
ning of the century, of six millions which constituted the 
whole mass of the export commerce of Britain, the colony 
trade was but one twelfth part; but that, by the last returns 
submitted to parliament, it appeared that, as a part of six- 
teen millions, it constituted considerably more than a 
third of the whole. In agriculture, he asserted that Amer- 
ica was so prosperous that she was enabled to export vast 
quantities of gain for the supply of the mother country. As 
to the third head of consideration, ' no sea,' exclaimed the 
orator, ^ but is vexed by the fisheries of the colonists, no 
climate that is not witness to their toils. Neither the per- 
severance of Ilolland, nor the activity of France, nor the 
dexterous and firm sagacity of English enterprise, ever 
carried this most perilous mode of hard industry to the ex- 
tent to which it has been pushed by this recent people, — a 
people who are still, as it were, but in the gristle, and not 
yet hardened into the bone of manhood.' 'But,' continued 
Mr. Burke, 'some persons will say, such a country is worth 
fighting for, — true, — but fighting will not retain it. Force 
is uncertain, and, if successful, it will depreciate the ob- 
ject gained.' He warned the House to consider the temper 
and character of the people with whom many ill-advised 
individuals seemed so eager to contend. The North Amer- 
ican colonists were jealous of their liberties. Their jeal- 
ousy as to their rights they derived from their English 
origin; it was nursed by their popular legislatures, — it 
was also nursed by their religion. The great body of the 
colonists were dissenters ; and the dissenting interests have 



What did he prove of America, as to commerce? What as to agriculture? 

What as to the fislieries? 
What did he say of force and of their liberties? 
What was the great body of the colonists? What interests had sprung up? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 63 

sprung up in direct opposition to all the ordinary powers 
of the world, and can justify t'-^t opposition only on a 
strong claim to natural liberty. 'AH protestantism,' Mr. 
Burke acutely remarked, — 'All protestantism, even the 
most cold and passive, is a sort of dissent. But the reli- 
gion most prevalent in our northern colonies, is a refine- 
ment on the principle of resistance; it is the dissidcnce of 
dissent, and the protestantism of the protestant religion.' 
The spirit of freedom was, moreover, nurtured in the colo- 
nies, in general, by education; and in Virginia and the 
Carolinas by that pride which uniformly actuates the hold- 
ers of slaves, 'to whom freedom is not only an enjoyment, 
I but a kind of rank and privilege.' Their distance from the 
' mother country likewise rendered the colonists less disposed 
I to submit to the dictation of the parent State. ' This hap- 
! pens in all forms into which empire can be thrown. In 
I large bodies the circulation of power must be less vigorous 
at the extremities.' A proud spirit of liberty having from 
i these various causes been infused throughout the colonies, 
'in consequence of which they have not only disobeyed our 
j authority, but established an efficient authority of their 
jown, by means of which a vast province has subsisted for 
I near a twelvemonth, without governor, without public 
council, without judges, without executive magistrates, the 
J question arises, how is this spirit to be encountered? Some 
] politicians have in this emergency proposed to check the 
; population of the colonies by stopping the grant of more 
hands by the crown. Others have advised that their mar- 
litime enterprises should be checked by the severity of re- 
strictive laws; whilst a third class of counselors are san- 
jguine in their expectations, that the Virginians and the 



Wliat did he say of their protestantism? 

What had some politicians proposed? What had others? What -i third 
class, ifc.t 



64 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

planters of the Carolinas will speedily be reduced to sub- 
mission by the emancipation of their slaves. Some, again, 
went so far as to talk of prosecuting the refractory as crim- 
inal. After demonstrating at length the futility of these 
proposals, Mr. Burke affirmed, that the only method left 
of putting an end to existing troubles, was that of concilia- 
tion. The Americans, said he, complain of taxation, — I 
will not on this matter dispute the point of right, but that 
of policy. ^The question is not whether you have a right 
to render your people miserable, but whether it is not 
your interest to make them happy. It is not what a law- 
yer may tell you, you may do, but what humanity, reason, 
and justice declare you ought to do.' Having thus laid 
down the principle of his plan, IMr. Burke began to open it 
by declaring, that his main object was to admit the people 
of the colonies to an interest in the Constitution. The fact 
vras, that the Americans did not object to the laws of trade; 
nor did they aim at any thing more than a release from 
taxation, imposed upon them by a legislative body in which 
their interests arc not guarded by their representatives. 
Similar uneasiness was for a long time prevalent in Ire- 
land, in Wales, and in the counties palatine of Chester 
and Durham. Now the agitations of Ireland were quelled 
bv the establishment of a separate legislature for that 
country, whilst the feuds which prevailed in Cheshire 
and Durham were annihilated by the admission of repre- 
sentatives of those counties into the English parliament. 
Let a similar policy then be exercised towards America. In 
her case, let taxation and representation go hand in hand. 



What did Mr, Burke affirm? 

What did be say was the question? 

What did he then declare? 

What did he say was his object? 

What did he say should go " hand in hand? " 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 65 

But the distance between the colonies and the mother coun- 
try precludes the Americans from sending representatives 
to the British legislature. What remains, then, but to re- 
cognize for the theory the ancient constitution and policy 
of this kingdom with regard to representation, and as to 
the practice, to return to that mode which a uniform expe- 
rience has marked out to you as best, and in which you 
walked with security, advantage, and honor until the year 
1763. 'My resolutions, therefore,' continued Mr. Burke, 
* mean to establish the equity and justice of a taxation of 
America by grant, and not by imposition; to mark the legal 
competency of the colony assemblies for the support of their 
I government in peace, and for the public aids in the time of 
j war; to acknowledge that this legal competency has had a 
( dutiful and beneficial exercise, and that experience has 
j shown the benefit of their grants, and the futility of parlia- 
I mentary taxation as a measure of supply.' After opening 
I these points at considerable length, and with transcendent 
ability, Mr. Burke concluded by moving a series of resolu- 
( tions in which their substance was embodied. This mas- 
terly speech, in the meditation and composition of which 
Mr. Burke, in the earnestness of his wish to point out to 
the members of the House of Commons the true line of 
colonial policy, seems to have chastised and checked the 
exuberance of his genius, was spoken to the members alone, 
as during the debate the standing orders for the exclusion 
of strangers were strictly enforced. It was answered by Mr. 
Jenkinson, who professed serious alarm at the proposition, 
that any public body, save parliament, was entitled to make 
grants of money to the crown. These constitutional scru- 



By whom was this masterly speech, answered? 

G 



66 AJIERICAN REVOLUTION. 

pies had their due weight, and Mr. Burke's resokitions 
were negatived by a majority of 270 to 78. 

About this time, Dr. Franklin, in a kind of demi-official 
communication with ministers, endeavored to etfect a re- 
conciliation between the colonies and the parent State. In 
the discussions which took place with this view between the 
doctor and the agents of the ministry, mo^t of the points in 
dispute were settled ; but the obstinate refusal of the cabi- 
net to restore the ancient constitution of iMassachusetts 
broke off the conferences ; and Dr. Franklin, despairing of 
the preservation of peace, returned to his native land, de- 
termined to share the fortunes of his countrymen, and, at 
all hazards, to devote his talents to the maintenance of their 
rights. 



SECTION XII. 

AFFAIR AT LEXINGTOX. 19th OF APRIL, 1775. 

It has already been stated, that the IMassachusetts patri- 
ots had resolved to attack the king's forces whenever they 
should march out of Boston. On the 19th of April, 1775, 
their adherence to this resolution was put to the test. With 
a view of seizing the military stores and provisions which 
the insurgents had collected at Concord, General Gage, on 
the night preceding that eventful day, detached from his 
garrison 800 picked men, under the command of Lieuten- 



What was the fate of Mr. Burke's resolutions? 

What of Dr. Franklin about this time? 

What broke otT the conferences? 

What did the doctor do? 

Who was the British General in Boston? 

Whom did he send to Concord? For what object? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 67 

ant-Colonel Smith. These troops made a rapid march to the 
place of their destination, in hopes of taking the malcon- 
tents by surprise; but notwithstanding their precautions, 
the alarm was given throughout the country, and the in- 
habitants flew to arms. Between four and five o'clock on 
the morning of the 19th, the advanced guard of the royal 
troops arrived at Lexington, where they found about 70 of 
the American militia under arms, whom Major Pitcairn 
(Ordered to disperse; and on their hesitating to obey his 
commands, that othcer discharged his pistol, and ordered 
his soldiers to fire. By the volley which ensued three or 
, ' four of the militia were killed and the rest put to flight. — 
1 Lieutenant-Colonel Smith then proceeded to Concord, where 
I he destroyed the stores of the insurgents, and then com- 
menced his retreat towards Boston. He was not, however, 
, permitted to make this retrograde movement without mo- 
lestation. Before he left Concord he was attacked by the 
American militia and minute-men, who, accumulating by 
degrees, harassed his rear and flanks, taking advantage of 
every inequality of ground, and especially availing them- 
') I selves of the stone walls which skirted the road, and which 
^^) served them as entrenchments. Had not the detachment 
'^ been met at Lexington by a body of 900 men, which Gen- 
^ I eral Gage had sent out to its support, under the command 
» I of Lord Percy, it would certainly have been cut ofl*. The 
^ 1 united British forces arrived, wearied and exhausted, at 
«»■ I Bunker's Hill, near Boston, a little after sunset, having 



In what year did this take place? 

What happened at Lexington? 

What success did they meet witli at Concord? 

Describe their return? 

Where did they arrive? 

What was their situation? 



68 



Ai^IEEICAN REVOLUTION. 



sust£iiiied a loss o^ 65 killed, 180 wounded, and 28 prison- 
ers* 

When Lord Percy, on his advance, was marching 
through Roxbury, his military band, in derision of the 
Americans, played the tune of ' Yankee Doodle.' , His lord- 

* The following is a copy of a handbill issued immediately after the engage- 
ment at Concord and Lexington. 

A List of the 7iames of the Provincials who tcere killed and tcounded in the 
late engagement with his majestifs troops at Concord, ^-c. 



KILLED. 



Of Lexington. 

* Mr. Robert Munroe, 

* Mr. Jonas Parker, 

* Mr. Samuel Hadley, 

* Mr. Jonathan Harrington, 

* Mr. Caleb Harrington, 

* Mr. Isaac Muzzy, 

* Mr. John Brown, 
Mr. John Raymond, 
Mr. Nathaniel Wyman, 
Mr. Jedediah Munroe. 

Of JMenotomy. 
Mr. Jason Russell, 
Mr. Jabez Wynian, 
Mr. Jason Wiuship. 

Of Sudbury. 
Deacon Haynes, 
Mr. Reed. 

Of Concord. 
Capt. James Miles. 

Of Bedford. 
Capt. Jonathan Wilson. 

Of Woburn. 

* Mr. Azael Porter, 
Mr. Daniel Thompson. 

Of Medford. 
Mr. Henry Putnam. 



Of Danvers. 
Mr. Henry Jacobs, 
Mr. Samuel Cook, 
Mr. Ebenezcr Goldthwait, 
Mr. George Soutlnvick, 
Mr. Benjamin Daland, jun. 
Mr. Jotham Webb, 
Mr. Perley Putnam. 

Of Salem. 
Mr. Benjamin Peirce. 
Of Charlestown. 
Mr. James Miller, 
Capt. William Barber's son. 

Of Brookline. 
Isaac Gardner, Esq. 
Of Cambridge. 
Mr. John Hicks, 
Mr. Moses Richardson, 
Mr. William Massey. 

Of Acton. 
Capt. Davis, 

Mr Hosmer, 

Mr. James Howard. 

Of Lynn. 
Mr. Abeduego Ramsdell, 
Mr. Daniel Townsend, 
Mr. William Flint, 
Mr. Thomas Hadley. 



What number did the British lose? How many did the Americans lose? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



69 



ship observed a youth who appeared to be amused at this 
circumstance, and asking him why he laughed, received 
this answer : ^ To think how you will dance by-and-by to 
the tune of ^ Chevy Chase.'' ' It had been too much the 
habit of the British to despise and insult the Americans as 
cowards; but the event of the march to Concord convinced 
them that the ^lassachusetts men were not deficient either 
in personal courage or in individual skill in the use of 
arms. 



SECTION XIII. 

BATTLE OF BUNKER'S HILL, IGxn OF JUNE, 1775. 

Blood having been thus drawn, the whole of the discon- 
tented colonies took prompt measures to resist the royal 

WOUNDED. 



of Lexington. 
Mr. John Robbins, 
Mr. John Tidd, 
Mr. Solomon Peirce, 
Mr. Thomas Winship, 
Mr, Nathaniel Farmer, 
Mr. Joseph Comee, 
Mr. Ebenezer Munroe, 
Mr. Francis Brown, 
Prince Easterbrooks, (a negro man.) 
Of Framingham. 

Mr. Hemenway. 

Of Beverly. 
Mr. Nathaniel Cleaves. 

Of Bedford. 
Mr. John Lane. 



Of Medford. 
Mr. William Polly. 

Of Lynn. 
Mr, Joshua' Felt, 
Mr, Timothy Munroe. 

Of Danvers. 
Mr, Nathan Putnam, 
Mri Dennis Wallis, 
Of Wobum. 
Mr. George Reed, 
Mr. Jacob Bacon, 



MISSING. 

Of Menotomy. 
Mr, Samuel Frost, 
Mr. Seth Russell, 



Those distinguished with this mark [*] were killed by the first fire of the 
regulars. 



What happened as Lord Percy marched through Roxbury? 

What had been a habit with the British? 

What effect had their march to Concord on tbem? 

g2 



70 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

authority by force of arms. Volunteers enrolled them- 
selves in every province; and throughout the whole Union 
the king's stores were seized for the use of the insurgents. 
The surprisal of Ticonderoga and Crown Point by a party 
from Connecticut, under the command of Colonel Allen, fur- 
nished them with upwards of 100 pieces of cannon, and a 
proportionable quantity of ammunition. Troops were 
gradually assembled in the towns and villages in the vicin- 
ity of Boston, so as to hold that town in a state of blockade. 
About the latter end of ]May, General Gage was reinforced 
by the troops which had been sent from Great Britain, and 
which were accompanied by Generals Howe, Burgoyne, 
and Clinton. Finding himself thus strengthened, he pre- 
pared for active operations ; but wishing to temper justice 
with mercy, on the 12th of June he issued a proclamation, 
offering pardon to all who would lay down their arms, with 
the exception of Samuel Adams and John Hancock, • whose 
offences,'* he declared, • were of too flagitious a nature to 
admit of any other consideration than that of condign pun- 
ishment.' This proclamation produced no etlect on the 
Americans, save that of rousing them to more vigorous 
exertions. On Charlestown Neck, a peninsula situated to 
the north of Boston, with which it now communicates by a 
bridge, is a considerable eminence, called Bunker's Hill. As 
this was deemed a post of great importance, the Americans 
resolved to occupy it, and orders were given by the pro- 

What measures liid the Colonies take alter the hatUe at Lexington? 

How did tliey obtain military stores? 

State some particulars. 

In what state was Boston held ? 

At what time did these transactions take place? 

What generals, ^-c. arrived in Boston? 

On the 12th June what proclamation did Gen. Gage issue? 

What were its conditions? How was it received.' 

What did the Americans resolve to do? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 71 

vincial authorities that a detachment of 1000 men should 
entrench themselves on the height in question. The par- 
ty was accordingly moved forwards from Cambridge on 
the night of the 16th of June, but, by mistake, commenced 
their operations on Breed's Hill, an eminence nearer to the 
town of Boston than the place of their destination. Here 
they labored with such activity, and at the same time with 
such silence, that the appearance of their works, at day- 
break the next morning, was the first indication of their 
presence. The firing of guns from the Lively, man-of- 
war, whence they were first seen, gave the alarm to the 
, British, whose commanders, on reconnoitering the position 
j of the enemy from the steeples and heights of the city, per- 
I ceived that they had thrown up a redoubt about eight rods 
square, from which lines extended to the eastward nearly 
I to the bottom of the hill. To the westward the works were 
I less perfect; but the provincials were busily employed in 
\ carrying them on, notwithstanding they were exposed to 
I showers of shot and shells, discharged from the vessels in 
' the harbor. The necessity of driving the enemy from 
' their position was evident; and for this purpose Gage put 
I 3000 men under the command of General Howe. On this 
i occasion the British were not very alert in their prepara- 
' tions, as it was noon before their troops were embarked in 
i the boats which were to convey them to Moreton's Point, 
1 at the southern extremity of Charlestown Neck. At this 
; awful crisis every elevated spot in the town of Boston was 
j covered with spectators, who anxiously awaited the event 
of the expected contest. Their attention was first arrested 



How many did this party consist of ? 

Where did they goby mistake? 

By morning, what was done? What annoyed them? 

Who attempted to dislodge the Americans? With what force? 

How were the inhabitants in Boston occupied? 



72 AMERICAN REVOLITTION. 

by a dense smoke, which announced that the British, fear- 
ing lest the houses of Charlestown might afford shelter to 
the provincials, had sot that place on tire. Proceeding to 
Moreton*s Point, the king's troops formed in two lines, and 
marched slowly up the hill, whilst their artillery played on 
the American works. The provincials stood lirm and 
steady ; they reserved their fire till the British had advan- 
ced to within sixty or seventy yards of their lines; they 
then made a simultaneous discharge with so cool an aim, 
and supported their fire Avith so much steadmess, that the 
British gave way, and fled to the water's edge. Here they 
were rallied by their othcers, and a second time led to the 
charge. A second time they retreated, and all seemed to 
be lost, when General Howe, aided by General Clinton, 
who, seeing his distress, had crossed over from Boston to 
join him, with ditficulty persuaded them to make another 
onset, which was successful. The Americans had ex- 
pended their ammunition, and were unable to procure a 
fresh supply. Their redoubt being forced, they were com- 
pelled to retreat: but though the road over Charlestown 
Neck, by which they retired, was enfiladed by the Glas- 
gow, man-of-war, they withdrew witli much less loss than 
might have been expected: they lett dead on the field 139 
of their comrades, and their wounded and missing amounted 
to 314. Amongst the valuable lives which were sacrificed 
in this battle, the Americans were sensibly afiected by the 
loss of Dr. Warren, who was slain whilst standing on the i*e- 
doubt, animating his fellow-soldiers to the most valorous 
exertions. Warren was a man of eminent talents, and of 
most amiable manners in private and domestic life. He 



What was doing at Charlestown' 

Describe the •• Battle of Bunker's (properly Breed's) Hill"? 
What was the American loss? What the British? 
"What distinguished American was among the slain? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. - 73 

excelled as an orator, and he was wise and prudent in 
council, and the circumstances of his death evinced that he 
could act as well as speak, and that the mildness of his 
character was united with lirm determination and undaunt- 
ed courage. The British purchased their victory dearly, 
their loss amounting to 226 killed and 828 wounded, in- 
cluding 79 otHcers; at this cost General Gage obtained lit- 
tle more than the field of battle. At the conclusion of the 
engagement he advanced to Bunker's Hill, which he forti- 
fied; whilst the Americans entrenched themselves on Pros- 
pect Hill, distant about a mile and a half from his lines. 



SECTION XIV. 

UNION OF THE THIRTEEN PROVINCES.— HANCOCK APPOINTED 
PRESIDENT, AND WASHINGTON COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 



When Colonel Allen appeared at the gates of Ticondero- 
ga, on the 10th of May, he summoned that fortress 'in the 
I name of the Great Jehovah and the continental Congress.' 
I On the very day on which this summons was given, that 
I body assembled, and had the satisfaction to find itself joined 
( by delegates from Georgia, so that the union of the thirteen 
I provinces was now completed. Peyton Randolph, Esq., 
j was appointed president; but urgent business soon after 
' requiring his presence at home, he was succeeded by Mr. 
j Hancock. After mature deliberation, the Congress agreed 



When did this battle take place? 

After the battle what did the British do? 

Where did the Americans entrench themselves? 

What can you relate of Colonel Allen? 

On the 10th of May, what body assembled, and where? 

Who was chosen president Who succeeded him? 



74 . AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

on addresses to the British nation, to the Canadians, to Ire- 
land and the island of Jamaica, in which they insisted upon 
the topics upon which they had antecedently dwelt in similar 
compositions. Fearful also lest, in case of the continuance of 
hostilities with the mother country, their frontier should be 
devastated by the Indians, a talk was prepared in which the 
controversy between Great Britain and her colonies was 
explained in a familar Indian style. They were told that 
'they had no concern in the family quarrel, and were urged 
by the ties of ancient friendship and a common birth-place, 
to remain at home, to keep their hatchet buried deep, and 
to join neither side.' Such is the statement of Mr. Ram- 
say ; and so far as Congress is concerned, no doubt that re- 
spectable historian is correct. But had he carefully ex- 
amined the official correspondence of General Washington, 
he would have found, from a letter of his dated August 4, 
1775, that the American commander-in-chief did not limit 
his views to neutrality on the part of the Indians, but that 
he took measures to secure the co-operation of the Cagh- 
newaga tribe, in the event of any expedition being medita- 
ted against Canada. Still aiming, with however faint 
hopes, at conciliation, the Congress drew up another hum- 
ble and pathetic petition to the King, which was delivered 
on the ensuing September by their agents to Lord Dart- 
mouth, the colonial secretary of state, who informed them, 
that no answer would be returned to it. They did not 
however, confine themselves to literary controversy, but 
took measures for depriving the British troops of supplies. 
They also resolved to raise an army sufficient to enable 
them to cope with the enemy, and issued, for its equipment 
and pay, bills of credit to the value of two millions of 

To what did the » Continental Congress" agree? 

What was prepared for the Indians? What was the object of this talkl 

How was the American Army to be paid? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 75 

dollars. With a happy unanimity they appointed George 
Washington commander-in-chief of their forces.* Soon 
after he received his commission, the general repaired to 
the head-quarters at Cambridge, in the vicinity of Boston, 
where he arrived on the 3d of July, and was received with 
joyful acclamations by the troops. The army consisted of 
1 14,500 men, and occupied cantonments so disposed as close- 
dyto beleagur the enemy within Boston. The soldiers 
were hardy, active, and zealous. But still, when the gen- 

* " Artemas Ward, Cliarles Lee, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Tutnam, were then 
chosen major-generals, and Horatio Gates adjutant-general. Lee had lately 
.held the office of colonel, and Gates that of major, in the British army. A 
jsolemnand dignified declaration, setting forth the causes and necessity of taking 
up arms, was prepared to be published to the army in orders, and to the people 
from the pulpit. After particularizing the aggressions of Great Britain, with 
the energy of men feeling unmerited injury, they exclaim: 
I "But why should we enumerate our injuries in detail? By one statute 
jit is declared that parliament can of right make laws to bind us in all cases 
whatsoever. What is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited a pow- 
er? Not a single man of those who assume it, was chosen by us, or is subject 
Uo our control or influence; but, on the contrary, they are all of them exempt 
|from the operation of such laws, and an American revenue, if not diverted 
•from the ostensible purpose for which it is raised, would actually lighten their 
|own burdens, in proportion as it increases ours. We saw tlie misery to which 
Isuch despotism would reduce us. We, for ten years, incessantly and incffectu 
ally besieged the throne as supplicant:^; we reasoned, we remostrated with par- 
liament in the most mild and decent language. "We arc now reduced to the 
alternative of choosing an unconditional submission to the will of irritated min- 
|i3ters,or resistance by force. The latter is our choice. We have counted the 
(cost of tliis contest, and find nothing so dreadful, as voluntary slavery. Honor, 
[justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we re- 
Iceived from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have ariglit 
(to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning suc- 
ceeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we 
basely entail hereditary bondage upon them. "Our cause is just; our union is 
perfect. Our internal resources arc great; and, if necessary, foreign assistance 



Who was chosen commander-in-chief? 

Of what number did the army consist when he arrived at Cambridge? 

Describe the army and relate the difflculties. 



76 AMERICAN REVOLITTION. 

eral had minutely inspected the state of affairs, he found 
ample matter for serious reflection. He was destitute of 
a responsible commissariat to procure and dispense the 
necessary supplies. I\Iany of the soldiers were ill-provi- 
ded with arms. On the 4th of August, he was apprised of 
the alarming fact that his whole stock of powder would af- 
ford little more than nine rounds a man. On the settling 
of the rank of otheers, also, he had to encounter the ill-hu- 
mor of the ambitious; who conceived that they were not 
promoted according to their merits. AVith his characteris- 
tic patience and assiduity, however, he overcame these difli- 
culties. By the influence of the respect which his charac- 
ter inspired, he reduced these jarring elements to some de- 
gree of order. His encampments were regularly supplied 
with provisions. By extraordinary exertions he procured 
a sufficient stock of ammunition and military stores; and 
though the well-dressed scouting parties of the British who 
approached his lines could not repress a smile on seeing his 
soldiers equipped in hunting-shirts, the atlair at Breed's 
Hill had taught them that a handsome unitorm is by no 
means essential to bravery in battle. 

On the 10th of October. General Gage resigned the corn- 
is undoubtedly attainable. Wc Jiroatfully acknowledge, as a signal instance of 
the divine favor towards us, that liis providence would not permit us to be called 
into this severe controversy, until we were trrown up to our present strengtJi, had 
been previously exercised in war-like operations, and possessed the means of 
defending ourselves. "With hearts fortified by these aniniatrns reflections, w e 
most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, Uiat exerting the utmost en- 
ergy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously l)ej5towed. 
the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance 
of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance, employ for the pre- 
servation of our lilierties, being, with one mind, resolved to die freeman ratlier 
than to live slaves." 



What was General Washington apprised of on the 4th August? 

What new aspect did the army assume? 

How did the British soldiers view the American Army? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 77 

mand of the British army to General Howe, and sailed for 
England in a vessel of war. Had he made the voyage in 
a transport, he would have run some risk of being taken 
prisoner; for towards the close of this year, (1775,) Con- 
gress fitted out several privateers, which were eminently 
successful in capturing the store-ships which had been sent 
from Great Britain with supplies for the royal army. — 
These captures at once crippled the enemy and furnished 
the Americans with important requisites for carrying on 
the war. 



SECTION XV. 

INVASION OF CANADA.— DEATH OF MONTGOMERY. 

Nor were the offensive operations of the provincials con- 
fined to the sea. Having, as has been before related, ob- 
tained possession of Ticonderoga, which is the key of Can- 
ada, the Congress determined to invade that province, in 
the hope that its inhabitants would welcome the forces which 
they might send against it, as their deliverers from the yoke 
of oppression. They accordingly gave the command of 
1000 men to Generals Schuyler and Montgomery, with 
directions to march into Canada. When the expedition 
had advanced to the town of St. John's, Schuyler, in conse- 
quence of the bad state of his health, resigned the command 
to his associate, and returned home. In attacking St. John's, 
the commander of which made a brave defence, Montgome- 
ry experienced considerable difiiculties in consequence of 
his want of the chief requisites for conducting a siege; but 

On the 10th of October what occurred? What had congress donoT 

Where, and what is Ticonderoga? 

What did Congress determine to do? 

To whom did Congress give the command of this army? 

What was its number? 

H 



78 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

he vanquished them all, and compelled the garrison, con- 
sisting of 500 regulars and 100 Canadians, to surrender. 
During the progress of the seige. Sir Guy Carleton, the 
governor of Canada, had collected 800 men at IMontreal, 
for the purpose of attacking the hesieging army ; hut he 
was driven hack by a body of the Vermont militia, com- 
manded by General Warner. Montgomery, theretbre, 
proceeded to Montreal, the garrison of which attempted to 
escape down the river, but were intercepted and captured by 
the American Colonel Easton: and Governor Carleton him- 
self was so hard pressed, that he was glad to escape to Trois 
Rivieres, whence he proceeded to Quebec. " To this place 
he was pursued by Montgomery, who in the course of his 
march, adopted the wisest measures to gain over the in- 
habitants of the province. With the peasants he succeed- 
ed; but upon priests and the seigneurs, or feudal lords, who 
foresaw that a revolution would be detrimental to their in- 
terests, he made little impression. 

Whilst ]\Iontgomery was penetrating into Canada by the 
St. Lawrence, General Arnold, who afterwards rendered 
himself infamous by his treachery, was advancing to co- 
operate with him by the way of the Kennebeck river and 
the Chaudiere. This route appears upon, the map to be a 
very direct one; but it was beset with formidable difficul- 
ties. In their voyage up the Kennebeck, Arnold and his 
comrades had to pull against a powerful stream interrupted 
by rapids, over which they were obliged to haul their boata 
with excessive labor. The space which intervenes between 
the mouth of the Kennebeck and that of the Chaudiere 
was a wild and pathless forest, through a great part of 
which they were compelled to cut their way with hatchets; 



Describe the expedition, ij-c.^ and the attack on St. John's, and Montreal ^«. 
What did Sir Guy Carleton do? By whom was he defeated? 
How did Montgomery succeed at Montreal? Describe this expedition. 
During this, what otlier expedition was going on? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 79 

and so scantily were they furnished with provisions, that 
when they had eaten their last morsel they had thirty 
miles to travel before they could expect any farther sup- 
plies. In spite of these obstructions, Arnold persevered in 
his bold enterprise; and on the 8th of November he ar- 
rived at Point Levi, opposite Quebec; and had he posses- 
sed the means of immediately passing the St. Lawrence, 
such was the panic occasioned by his unexpected appear- 
ance, that it is probable that the city, in the absence of the 
Governor, would have surrendered to him. But whilst he 
was collecting craft to effect his passage, the inhabitants 
recovered from their consternation, the Governor arrived, 
and the place was put in a posture of defence. On the 1st 
of December, Montgomery, having effected a junction with 
Arnold, broke ground before Quebec. But he labored un- 
, der insuperable disadvantages. His forces were inferior 
I in number to those of the garrison. He was destitute of a 
I proper battering train. His soldiers were daily sinking 

* under the hardships of a Canadian winter ; and their term 
. of enlistment was soon to expire. Seeing that no hopes 
I were left, but that of the success of a desperate effort, he 
I attempted to carry the city by assault, and had penetrated 
I to the second barrier, when he fell by a musket shot, leav- 
jing behind him the character of a brave soldier, an ac- 
Icomplished gentleman, and an ardent friend of liberty. — 
(Arnold was carried wounded from the field; but on the 

• death of his friend he took the command of the remnant 
jof his forces, which he encamped at the short distance of 

three miles from the city. 



Wliat affect had Uie arrival of Arnold, on tlie 8tli of Nov., on the inhabi- 
tants of Quebec? 

On the 1st of December what took place? 

What was the situation of Montgomery's army? How did he attempt to 
carry the city? With what success did lie meet? 



'80 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

SECTION XVI. 

EVACUATION OF BOSTON, MARCH 17, 1776. 

Whilst these transactions were carrying on to the north- 
ward of the American continent, the inhabitants of the 
middle and southern provinces were employed in prepar- 
ing for resistance against the demands of the British gov- 
ernment, and in general compelled such of their governors 
as took any active measures for the support of royal au- 
thority, to consult for their safety by taking refuge on 
board of ships of war. In Virginia, the imprudence of 
Lord Dunmore provoked open hostilities, in the course of 
which he burned the town of Norfolk. By this act, how- 
ever, and by a proclamation, in which he promised free- 
dom to such of the negroes as should join his standard, he 
only irritated the provincials, without doing them any es- 
sential injury; and being finally driven from the colony, 
he returned to England. 

Towards the close of this year, the commander-in-chief 
of the American forces found himself in circumstances of 
extreme embarrassment. ' It gives me great distress,' thus 
he wrote in a letter to Congress of the date of Sept. 21, 
1775, 'to be obliged to solicit the attention of the honora- 
ble Congress to the state of this army, in terms which im- 
ply the slightest apprehension of being neglected. But my 
situation is inexpressibly distressing, to see the winter fast 
approaching upon a naked army; the time of their service 
within a few weeks of expiring; and no provision yet made 

What of the middle and southern provinces? 

What imprudence was Lord Dunmore guilty of? What did he promise to 

the negroes? 
What was the situation of the commander-in-chief towards the close of 

1775? To whom did he write on the 21st September, 1775? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 81 

for such important events. Added to these, the military 
chest is totally exhausted: the paymaster has not a single 
dollar in hand; the commissary-general assures me he has 
strained his credit, for the subsistence of the army, to the 
utmost. The quarter-master-general is precisely in the 
same situation; and the greater part of the troops are in 
a state not far from mutiny upon the deduction from their 
stated allowance.'' The fact is, that the troops had en- 
gaged in the service of their country with feelings of ar- 
dent zeal; but, with a mistaken idea that the contest would 
be decided by a single effort, they had limited the time of 
their service to a short period, which was ready to expire. 
Congress had appointed a committee, consisting of Dr. 
Franklin and two other individuals, to organize an army 
for the year 1776. But when these gentlemen repaired to 
head quarters, and sounded the dispositions of the troops 
as to a second enlistment, they did not find in them the 
alacrity which they expected. The soldiers were, as they 
had evinced in all services of danger, personally brave; 
but they were unaccustomed to the alternate monotony and 
violent exertion of a military life, and their independent 
spirit could ill brook the necessary restraints of discipline. 
From these causes so many quitted the camp when the 
term of their service was expired, that on the last day of 
the year Washington's muster-roll contained the names of 
only 9650 men. By the exertions of the committee, how- 
ever, these were speedily reinforced by a body of militia, 
who increased their numbers to 17,000. Upon these cir- 
cumstances, the commander-in-chief, in one of his des- 
patches to Congress, made the following striking remarks. 



What did Gen. Washington say was the situation of the army ' 

What committee was appointed in 1776? 

For what object was tliis committee appointed? 

Describe the army, Sfc. To what number was it increased? 

h2 



JBi AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

'It is not in the pages of history, perhaps, to furnish a case 
like ours — to maintain a post within musket-shot of the 
enemy for six months together without ammunition, and, 
at the same time, to disband one army and recruit another, 
within that distance of twenty odd British regiments, is 
more, probably, than ever was attempted. But if we suc- 
ceed as well in the last, as we have heretofore in the first, 
I shall think it the most fortunate event of my whole life.' 
It may be permitted us to conjecture that in these circum- 
stances the uneasiness of Washington was enhanced by 
his consciousness of the risk which he ran in thus com- 
municating the secret of his difficulties to so numerous a 
body as the Congress. Had there been found one coward, 
one traitor, or even one indiscreet individual in that assem- 
bly, the British general would have been apprised of the 
vast advantages which he had over his antagonist; he 
would have adopted the offensive, and the cause of Ameri- 
can independence would have been lost. But every colo- 
nial senator was faithful to his trust. Every one was si- 
lent as to the real situation of the army; and the com- 
mander-in-chief still confidently presented a bold front to 
the enemy. It was well known that the British troops in 
Boston were much straitened for provisions; and the mili- 
tia having joined the army in expectation of immediate 
battle, were eager for the onset, and murmured at the de- 
lay of the general in giving the signal for an assault on 
the town. They were little aware of the distress by which 
he was embarrassed. Notwithstanding the Congress had 
even sent to the coast of Africa to purchase gunpowder, 
his magazines still contained but a scanty stock of that es- 
sential article, and many of his troops were destitute of 



What then did Washington write to congress? 

By what might the American independence have been loat? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 83 

muskets. But he kept to himself the important secret of 
the deficiency of his stores, and patiently submitted to the 
criticisms which were passed on his procrastination, till he 
had made the requisite preparations. He then proposed to 
storm the British lines; but was advised by his council of 
war, in preference to this measure, to take possession of 
Dorchester heights,*" an eminence which from the south- 
ward commands the harbor and city of Boston. To this 
advice he acceded, and having diverted the attention of the 
British garrison by a bombardment, which was merely a 
feint, on the night of the 4th of March he pushed forward 
a working party of 1200 men, under the protection of a 
detachment of 800 troops. The Americans were very ex- 
pert in the use of the spade and pickaxe, and by day-break 
they had completed respectable lines of defence. The 
British admiral no sooner beheld these preparations, than 
he sent word to General Howe, that if the Americans were 
not dislodged from their works he could not with safety 
continue in the harbor. On the 6th Howe had completed 
his arrangements for the attack of the enemy's lines, and 
a bloody battle was expected; but the transports in which 
his troops were embarked for the purpose of approaching 
the heights by water were dispersed by a storm; and the 
enemy so industriously took advantage of the consequent 
suspension of his operations to strengthen their position, 
that when the storm subsided he despaired of success in 
attacking it. Finding the town no longer tenable, he evac- 

* Now added to Boston and called South Boston. 



What did the commander-in-chief still do? 

How did the he behave himself? What did he propose? 

What did he finally do? 
On the 6th of March what was expected? What prevented it? 
When was Boston evacuated? 



84 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

uated it on the 17th of March, and sailed with his garrison, 
which amounted to 7000 men, to Halifax in Nova Scotia. 

In consequence of an implied threat on the part of Gen- 
eral Howe, that if he was interrupted by any hostile at- 
tack during the embarkation of his troops, he would set fire 
to the town, the British were allowed to retire without mo- 
lestation, though their commander, immediately before his 
departure, levied considerable requisitions for the use of 
his army upon the merchants, who were possessed of wool- 
en and linen goods; and though the soldiery, availing 
themselves of the relaxation of military discipline which 
usually accompanies the precipitate movements of troops, 
indulged themselves in defiance of orders issued to the 
contrary, in all the license of plunder. Previously to the 
evacuation of the place, Howe spiked all the cannon and 
mortars which he was obliged to leave behind him, and de- 
molished the fortifications of Castle William. Immediately 
on the withdraw^ing of the royal forces, Washington, enter- 
ing Boston in triumph, was hailed as a deliverer by the 
acclamations of the inhabitants. He also received the 
thanks of the congress and of the legislature of Massachu- 
setts; and a medal was struck in honor of his services in 
expelling the invaders from his native land. 

The exultation which the Americans felt at the expul- 
sion of the British from Boston was tempered by the arri- 
val of sinister intelligence from Canada. In sending an 
expedition into that country. Congress had been influenced 



Where did Gen. Howe sail for? How many men liad he? 

In what manner was he allowed to leave Boston? Why? 

What did he do previously lo leaving Boston? 

What did Gen. Washington do after the British witlidrew? 

How was he received? 

What did he receive from congress and the legislature of Massachuselti? 

What intelligence was received from Canada? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 85 

by two motives: they wished at once to secure the junction 
of the inhabitants of that province to their union, and to 
protect their own northern frontier from invasion. But the 
Canadians were little prepared for the assertion of the prin- 
ciple of freedom; and the rapacity of the unprincipled Ar- 
nold, and the misconduct of his troops, had alienated their 
affections from the common cause. Congress, however, 
by extraordinary exertions, sent to the camp before Que- 
bec reinforcements, which, by the 1st of May, increased 
Arnold's army to the number of 3000 men. But his forces 
were unfortunately weakened by the ravages of the small- 
pox ; and reinforcements from England having begun to 
arrive at Quebec, he determined upon a retreat. In this 
retrograde movement the American array had to encounter 
difficulties which to ordinary minds would have seemed 
insurmountable. On their march through almost imprac- 
ticable roads, they were closely followed, and frequently 
brought to action, by an enemy superior in number. In an 
ill-advised attack on Trois Rivieres they sustained consid- 
erable loss, and their forces were for a time separated, and 
almost dispersed. But, notwithstanding these disasters, 
General Sullivan, who conducted the retreat, contrived to 
save his baggage, stores, and sick, and led back a respecta- 
ble remnant of his army to Crown Point, where he re- 
solved to make a stand. Being well aware of the necessity 
of guarding this quarter of their frontier against the in- 
cursions of the British, the Congress sent thither an army 
of 12,000 men, under the command of General Gates, who 
cast up strong works at Ticonderoga, and endeavored to 
retain the command of Lake Champlain by means of a flo- 



What object had congress in scndini^ an army into Canada? 

Wliat was Arnold's conduct? 

Describe the conclusion of the expedition to aucl)ec,and its returi 

What did Gen. Sullivan do? 

What can you say of Gen. Gales and Gen. Carlcton? 



86 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

tilla, which was built and equipped with a rapidity hitherto 
unheard of. General Carleton, however, was not behind- 
hand with him in activity. He speedily fitted out a supe- 
rior armament, by means of which he took or destroyed 
almost the whole of the American vessels. Having thus 
made himself master of the lake, he advanced to the vicinity 
of Ticonderoga; but finding that port too strongly fortified, 
and too well garrisoned to be taken by assault, he returned 
to Quebec. Valor and military skill were not the highest 
characteristics of Sir Guy Carleton. The kindness which 
he manifested to his prisoners, and especially to the sick 
and wounded of the Americans who fell into his hands, en- 
title him to the superior praise of humanity. 



SECTION xvn. 

DECLARATION OF Ii\DEPEx\DENCE, 4th OF JULY, 1776. 

When the British ministry took the resolution to coerce 
the discontented colonies by force of arms, they were little 
aware of the difficulty of their undertaking; and, conse- 
quently, the means which they adopted for the execution of 
their designs were by no means commensurate with the 
object which they had in view. But when they met the 
parliament in October, 1775, they were obliged to confess 
that the spirit of resistance to royal authority was widely 
diffused throughout the North America provinces, that re- 
bellion had assumed a bold front, and had been alarmingly 
successful. To supply them with the means of suppressing 
it, parliament readily voted the raising and equipment of 
28,000 seamen, and 55,000 land forces. The bill which 

What did Gen. Carleton do? 

In 1775, what were the British ministry obliged to confess? 

What did parliament vote? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 87 

provided for this powerful armament also authorized his 
majesty to appoint commissioners, who were to be empow- 
ered to grant pardons to individuals, to inquire into and 
redress grievances, and to receive any colonies, upon their 
return to obedience, into the king's peace. 

When the colonists were apprised of the bill having been 
] passed into a law, they treated the offer of pardon with 
, contempt, and contemplated Math anger, but not with dis- 
■ may, the formidable preparations announced by its provi- 
,sions. Their irritation was excited to the highest pitch 
when they were informed that Lord North had engaged 
16,000 German mercenaries to assist in their subjugation. 
Nor did this measure escape severe animadversion in the 
'British Parliament. It was warmly censured by many 
members of the opposition, especially by Mr. Adair and Mr. 
Dunning, who maintained that, in engaging the services of 
foreign mercenaries without the previous consent of par- 
liament, ministers had violated the provision of the Bill of 
[Rights, and that by this infringement of the Constitution 
they had set a precedent which might be made available 
)y some future arbitrary monarch to the destruction of the 
ibertics of the country. 

The command of the British forces was given to General 
JHowe, who, in arranging the plan of the campaign, deter- 
Inined, first, after driving the enemy from Canada, to in- 
^^ade their country by the north-western frontier. 2dly, 
o subdue the southern colonies; and, 3dly, to strike at the 
center of the Union by conquering the province of New 
^ork, from which, by means of the Hudson river, ho 
hould be able to co-operate with the royal army in Can- 



How did the colonists treat the offer? 

What excited their irritation to the highest pitch? 

To wliom was the command of the British forces given? 

What was the plan of the campaign? 



88 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

ada. The latter province having been already rescued 
from the invaders by Sir Guy Carleton, General Howe 
committed the execution of the second part of his plan to - 
General Clinton and Sir Peter Parker, who having effected 
a junction at Cape Fear, resolved to make an attack upon ( 
Charleston. They accordingly sailed up Ashley river, on 
which that place is situated ; but they encountered so de- 
termined an opposition from a fort hastily erected on Sulli- 
van's Island, and commanded by Colonel Moultrie, that, 
after sustaining considerable loss of men, and much dam- 
age to their shipping, they gave up their enterprise and 
sailed to New York. The result of this attempt was highly 
favorable to the Americans, as it consoled them for their 
losses in the north, inspired them with new confidence, 
and, for the ensuing two years and a half, preserved the 
southern colonies from the presence of a hostile force. 

The command of the principal British fleet, destined to 
co-operate with General Howe, had been bestowed upon 
his brother Sir William, who, when his equipment was 
finished, sailed directly for Halifiix. On his arrival at that 
place, he found that the general, impatient of his delay, 
had proceeded on his voyage towards New York, whither 
he immediately followed him, and joined him at Staten Isl- 
and. On this junction of the two brothers, their forces , 
were found to amount to 30,000 men ; and never, perhaps, 
was an army better equipped, or more amply provided ' 
with artillery, stores, and every requisite for the carrying , 
on of vigorous and active hostilities. Far different was the ' 



Who had charn;e of tlie second part of the arrangement? 

What place did they resolve to attack? 

What reception did they meet with at Sullivan's Island? 

What was the result of this attempt? 

Who was the commander of the British fleet? 

What junction was effected at Staten Island? 

To what did their forces amount? What was their condition? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 89 

condition of the American commander-in-chief. His troops, 
enlisted for short periods, had acquired little discipline. 
They were scantily clothed and imperfectly armed. They 
were frequently in want of ammunition; and they were 
ill-supplied with provisions. Disaffection to the cause of 
; their country .was also manifested by some of the inhabit- 
' ants of New York, 4\'ho, at the instigation of Governor 
Tryon, had entered into a conspiracy to aid the king's 
troops on their expected arrival. In this plot, even some 
of the army had been engaged; and a soldier of the com- 
' mander-in-chief 's own guard had, by the unanimous sen- 
I tence of a court martial, been sentenced to die for enrolling 
' himself among the conspirators, and enlisting others in the 
same traitorous cause. In these circumstances AA'ashins- 
, ton could not but regard the approaching contest with seri- 
' ous uneasiness; but he, as usual, concealed his uneasiness 
I within his own bosom, and determined to fight to the last 
in the cause of his country. His firmness was participated 
by the congress, who, whilst the storm seemed to be gath- 
ering thick over their heads, beheld it with eyes undis- 
mayed, and now proceeded with a daring liand to strike the 
decisive stroke which forever separated thirteen nourishing 
colonics from their dependence on the British crown. It is 
possible, nay, it is probable, that from the beginning of 
the disputes with the mother country, there may have been 
some few speculators among the American politicians, who 
entertained some vague notions and some uncertain hopes 
of independence. In every age, and in every country, 
there are individuals whose mental view extends to a wider 
circle than that of the community at large, and unhappy is 

Describe the American army. 
W^hat was Washington's conduct? 
How did congress view these appearances? 
What did they now proceed to do? 
I 



90 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

their destiny if they attempt to bring their notions into ac- 
tion, or even to promulgate them before the season is ripe 
unto the harvest. But no such precipitancy was found 
amongst the partisans of American liberty. Like Frank- 
lin, for year after year, they limited their wishes to an ex- 
emption from parliamentary taxation, and to a preserva- 
tion of their chartered rights and privileges. But the vio- 
lent measures of the British ministers altered their senti- 
ments, and the spectacle of their countrymen mustering in 
arms to resist ministerial oppression, prompted them to 
bolder daring. Finding that the British cabinet had hired 
foreign troops to assist in their subjugation, they foresaw 
that they might be reduced to apply to foreign aid to help 
them in their resistance against oppression. But what 
power would lend them aid whilst they retained the char- 
acter of subjects of his Britannic majesty. Sentiments such 
as these, having been industriously and successfully dissem- 
inated throughout the union, the congress on the 4th of 
July, 1776, whilst the formidable array of the British fleet 
was hovering on their coasts, on the motion of j\Ir. Richard 
Henry Lee, representative of Virginia, passed their cele- 
brated declaration of independence, by which act they for- 
ever withdrew their allegiance from the king of Great 
Britain. This important document is couched in the fol- 
lowing terms : — 

' When, in the course of human events, it becomes ne- 
cessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which 
have connected them with another, and to assume among 
the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to 
which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them. 

What were the wishes of Franklin and others limited to, year after year? 
ViThy were they induced to change their views? 
What was made on the 4th of July, 1776? 
In what terms is this document expressed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 91 

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that 
they should declare the causes which impel them to the 
separation. 

* We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are 
created equal ; that they arc endowed by their Creator with 
certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liber- 
ty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these 
rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving 
their just powers from the consent of the governed; that 
whenever any form of government becomes destructive of 
these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abol- 
I ish it, and to institute new government, laying its founda- 
I tion on such principles, and organizing its power in such 
form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety 
land happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that govern- 
.ments long established, should not be changed for light and 
Itransicnt causes; and, accordingly, all experience hath 
shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while 
evils are suffcrable, than to right themselves by abolishing 
|the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long 
'train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the 
same object, evinces a design to reduce them under abso- 
lute despotism, it is their right, — it is their duty, to throw 
toft' such government, and to provide new guards for their 
♦future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of 
these colonies, and such is now the necessity which con- 
I strains them to alter their former system of government. 
The history of the present king of Great Britain, is a his- 
tory of repeated injuries and usurpation, all having in di- 
rect object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over 
Ihese States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a 
candid world. 



What truths are self-evident? What will prudence dictate? 
To prove this what is submitted? 
i 

i 



92 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

' He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome 
and necessary for the public good. 

'He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immedi- 
ate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their ope- 
ration till his assent should be obtained j and when so sus- 
pended, he has utterly neglected to attended to them. 

'He has refused to pass other laws for the accommoda- 
tion of large districts of people, unless those people would 
relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, — a 
right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants only. 

'He has called together legislative bodies at places unu- 
sual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their 
public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into 
compliance with his measures. 

'He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for 
opposing, with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights 
of his people. 

' He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, 
to cause others to be elected, whereby the legislative pow- 
ers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people 
at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the 
mean time exposed to all the danger of invasion from with- 
out, and convulsions within. 

' He has endeavored to prevent the population of these 
States, for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturaliza- 
tion of foreigners, refusing to pass others to encourage 
their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new 
appropriations of lands. 

'He has obstructed the administration of justice, by re- 
fusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. 

What had the king refused his assent to? What had he forbidden? 
What had he refused to pass? He had called together what? 
He had dissolved what? What had he refused? 
What had he endeavored? What had he obstructed? 



AIVIERICAN REVOLUTION. 93 

* He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the 
tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their 
salaries. 

^ He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent 
hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out 
their substance. 

' He has kept among us, in time of peace, standing ar- 
mies, without the consent of our len;islatures. 

'He has affi^cted to render the military independent of, 
I and superior to, the civil power. 

I 'He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdic- 
(tion foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our 
'laws, giving his assent to their acts of pretended legisla- 
|tion; 

\ 'For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us; 
\ ' For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment 
|for any murders which they should commit on the inhab- 
itants of these States; 

'For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world; 
'For imposing taxes upon us without our consent; 
'For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial 
by jury; 

I ' For transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for pre- 
Itended offences ; 

'For abolishing the free system of English laws in a 
Neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary 
orovernment, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render 
it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing 
;he same absolute rule into these colonies; 



What had he made? What had he erected? 

What had he kept among us? What had he affected? 

What had he combined with others 10 do? For quartering what? For 
protecting what? For cutting off what? For imposing what? For 
depriving of what? For transporting what? For abolishing what? 
I2 



94 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

' For taking away our charters, abolishing our most val- 
uable laws, and altering fundamentally the form of our 
governments ; 

'For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring 
themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all 
cases whatsoever. 

'He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out 
of his protection, and waging war against us. 

'He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt 
our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 

' He is, at this time, transporting large armies of foreign 
mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, 
and tyranny already begun, with circumstances of cruelty 
and perfidy, scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, 
and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. 

' He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive 
on the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to 
become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or 
to fall themselves by their hands. 

'He has excited domestic insurrections among us, and 
has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our fron- 
tiers, the merciless Indian savages; whose known rule of 
warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, 
and conditions. 

'In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned 
for redress in the most humble terms; our repeated peti- 
tions have been answered only by repeated injury. A 
prince, whose character is thus marked by every act 
which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free 
people. 

For taking away what? For suspending what? 

He had abdicated what? He had plundered what? 

He was transporting what? He had constrained what? [sionsr? 

He had excited what? What had been done in every stage of these oppres- 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 96 

^ Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British 
brethren. We have warned them from time to time of at- 
tempts made by their legislature to extend an unwarrant- 
able jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the 
circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We 
have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and 
we have conjured them, by the tics of our common kindred, 
to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably in- 
terrupt our connexions and correspondence. They too 
have been deaf to the voice of justice and consanguinity. 
We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which de- 
nounces our separation, and hold them as we hold the rest 
of mankind, — enemies in war, in peace, friends. 

'We, therefore, the representatives of the United States 
of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to 
the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our 
intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the 
good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and de- 
clare, that these united' colonies are, and of right ought to 
be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved 
from all allegiance to the British crown; and that all po- 
litical connexion between them and the State of Great Brit- 
ain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that, as free 
and independent States, they have full power to levy war, 
conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and 
do all other acts and things which independent States may 
of right do. And, for the support of this declaration, with 
a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we 



Of what had the British been warned? 

Of what liad they been reminded? 

How had they been appealed to? 

In wliat was it necessary to acquiesce? 

Eepeat the declaration, " We, therefore," ^-c. 



96 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and 
our sacred honor.'* 



SECTION XVIII. 

CAPTURE OF LONG ISLAND, 26Tn OP AUGUST, 1776. 

General Washington was well aware that New York 
would be the first object of attack on the part of the British ; 
and despairing of being able to encounter them in the open 
field, he resolved to protract the approaching campaign by 
carrying on a war of posts. With this view, after fortify- 
ing Long Island, he threw up various entrenchments on 
New York Island, which is bounded on the west by the 
Hudson, and on the south and east by East river, whilst to 
the north it is separated from the main land by a narrow 
channel which unites these two streams. He also con- 
structed two forts, the one on the Hudson named Fort 
Washington, by which he proposed to maintain his com- 
munication with Jersey, whilst the other, called Fort Lee, 
connected his defence with the province of New York. — 
Whilst he was making these preparations he received from 

* "This declaration was received by the people with transports of joy. Pub- 
lic rejoicings took place in various parts of the Union. In New York, the statue 
of George III. was taken down, and the lead, of which it was composed, was 
converted into musket balls. In Boston, the garrison was drawn up in King's 
street, wliich, from that moment, took the name of State-street, and thirteen 
salutes, by thirteen detachments, into which the troops were formed, were 
fired; the bells of the town were rung, in token of felicitation, and the evening 
concluded with the tearing in peices, and burning the ensigns of royalty — lions, 
scepters, and crowns." 

What was Gen. Washington well aware of? 

What did he do, and with what view? 

Where was Fort Washington, and where Fort Lee? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 97 

Pennsylvania a seasonable reinforcement of 10,000 men, 
raised for the express purpose of forming a flying camp; 
but he was disappointed in his expectation of the aid of a 
large body of militia. Independently of the flying camp, 
his forces, at this moment of peril, amounted only to 17,225 
men. 

Before commencing hostilities, the Howes, with a view 
of conciliation, or of detaching the wavering amongst the 
colonists from the cause of the congress, issued a procla- 
mation, offering pardon to such of his majesty's rebellious 
subjects as would lay down their arms, and announcing 
their powers, on the fulfdment of certain conditions, to re- 
ceive any colony, district, or place, into the king's peace. 
This proclamation produced no effect beyond the districts 
from time to time occupied by the royal army. General 
Howe also endeavored to open a correspondence with 
Washington, for the purpose of laying a ground for the 
amicable adjustment of all differences between the colonies 
and the mother country; but as the British commander did 
not recognize the official character of Washington in the 
address of his letter, it was returned unopened, and thus 
this attempt at negotiation failed. 

Those who are accustomed to the rapid proceedings of 
more modern warfare, cannot give to General Howe the 
praise due to activity. Though he arrived at Staten Island 
on the 10th of June, it was not till the 26th of August that 



What reinforcement did Washington receive, and from whence? 

To wha t number did his forces amount? 

What was the British force did you just say? Ans. 30,000. 

What did the Howes do before commencing hostilities^ 

What were its contents? 

What effect did it produce? 

What did Gen. Howe attempt to do with Washington? 

How was it received? Why? 



98 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

he commenced active operations against the enemy by an 
attack on Long Island, on the north-western part of which 
a respectable force of Americans, commanded by General 
Sullivan, occupied an entrenched camp. Their position 
was protected in front by a range of hills stretching across 
the island, from the Narrows, a strait which separates it 
from Staten Island, to the town of Jamaica, situated on the 
southern coast. Over the hills in question pass three de- 
fensible roads, each of which was guarded by 800 men. — 
The pass by the Narrows was attacked and carried by Gen- 
eral Grant, — the second, by Flatbush, was cleared by Gen- 
eral de Heister, in retreating before whom the Americans 
were encountered by General Clinton, who with the right 
wing of the British army, had made a detour by Jamaica. 
Thus the provincials were driven into their lines with the 
loss of upwards of 1000 men, whilst the British loss did 
not amount to more than 450. During the engagement 
Washington had sent strong reinforcements into Long 
Island, and, at its close, he repaired thither in person with 
the greater part of his army. This movement had nearly 
occasioned his ruin. He soon found himself cooped up in 
a corner, with a superior force in front prepared to attack 
his works, which were untenable. In these circumstances 
his only safety lay in retreat. It was a difficult operation 
. to convey a whole army across a ferry in the presence of 
an enemy, whose working parties could be heard by his 
sentries. But favored by the darkness of the night, and 
by a fog which arose in the morning, he transported the 



What attack was made, and when? 

Who conuuanded the Americans on Long Island? 

Describe the position of his camp. 

Describe the engagement. 

How did Washington extricate himself? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 99 

whole of his force to New York, leaving nothing behind 
him but some heavy cannon. 



SECTION XIX. 

EVACUATION OF NEW YORK, FIRST OF SEPTEMBER 1776- 

Among the prisoners taken by the British on Long Island 
was General Sullivan, whom General Howe sent on his pa- 
role with a message to Congress, renewing his otfers to ne- 
gotiate for an amicable accommodation. The Congress 
sent a committee of three of their body, — Dr. Franklin, 
John Adams, and Edward Rutledge, to confer with him on 
the subject of his communication. These deputies were 
received with great politeness by General Howe; but, af- 
ter a full discussion with the British commander, they re- 
ported to Congress that his proposals were unsatisfactory. 
and his powers insufficient. Their report concluded in the 
following terms: — 'It did not appear to your committee, 
I that his lordship's commission contained any other authori- 
' ty than that expressed by the act of parliament, — namely, 
that of granting pardons, with such exceptions as the com- 
I missioners shall think proper to make, and of declaring 
I America or any part of it to be in the king's peace on sub- 
I mission; for, as to the power of inquiring into the state of 
j America, which his lordship mentioned to us, and of con- 
( ferring and consulting with any persons the commissioners 
might think proper, and representing the result of such 



Who among the American prisoners was taken on Longlslandl 

Where did Gen. Howe send him? 

Who composed the committee sent by congress to Gen. Howe? 

How were they received? 

What did they report? 

How did their report conclude? 



100 AMERICAN REVOLTJTION. 

conversation to the ministry, who, provided the colonies 
would subject themselves, might, after all, or might not, at 
their pleasure, make any alterations in the former instruc- 
tions to governors, or propose in parliament any amend- 
ment of the acts complained of; we apprehend any expec- 
tation from the etlect of such a power would have been too 
uncertain and precarious to be relied on by America, had 
she still continued in her state of dependence.'' This at- 
tempt at negotiation having thus fruitlessly terminated, 
nothing was left but to decide the dispute by arms. 

The Congress embraced this alternative in circumstan- 
ces which would have reduced men of less resolute spirits 
to despair. Their army was so dispirited by the events 
which had taken place in Long Island, that the militia be- 
gan to desert, and the constancy of some of the regulars 
was shaken. They were apprised, too, that Washington 
foresaw the necessity of making a series of retrograde 
movements, which were calculated to cloud the public mind 
with despondency. The prognostics of the General were 
soon verified. On the 15th of September, General Howe 
effected a landing on New York Island, and compelled him 
to evacuate the city of New York, and to retire to the 
north end of the island. Here Howe unaccountably suf- 
fered him to remain unmolested for nearly four weeks, at 
the end of which time he maneuvered to compel him to 
give him battle on the island. Dreading the being reduced 
to this perilous necessity, the American conmiander with- 
drew to the White Plains, taking, however, every oppor- 
tunity to front the enemy, and engaging in partial actions, 
which in some degree kept the British in check. At length 

What alternative did congress embrace? 

What was the situation of the American army at this time? 

What was effected on the 15th September? 

Where did Washington withdraw after four weeks? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 101 

he crossed the Hudson, and occupied some strong ground 
on the Jersey shore of that river, in the neighborhood of 
Fort Lee. He had no sooner evacuated New York Island 
than General Howe attacked and took Fort Washington, 
in which he made 2700 men prisoners, at the cost, how- 
ever, of 1200 men on his side killed and wounded. Fort 
Lee was shortly after evacuated by its garrison, and taken 
possession of by Lord Cornwallis. Following up these 
successes. General Howe pursued the flying Americans to 
Newark, and from Newark to Brunswick, and from Bruns- 
wick successively to Princeton and Trenton, till at length 
he drove them to the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. 
Nothing could exceed the distress which the American ar- 
my suffered during this retreat through the Jerseys. — 
They were destitute of blankets and shoes, and their cloth- 
ing was reduced to rags. They were coldly looked upon 
by the inhabitants, who gave up the cause of America for 
lost, and hastened to make their peace with the victors. — 
Had General Howe been able to maintain discipline in his 
arm)-, Jersey would have been severed from the Union. — 
But, fortunately for the interests of the congress, his troops 
indulged in all the excesses of military violence, and irri- 
tated the inhabitants of the country to such a degree, that 
their new-born loyalty was speedily extinct, and all their 
thoughts were bent upon revenge. 

Where did he next go? 

What fort was taken? 

How many of the Americans were killed and taken prisoners? 

What fort was evacuated? 

Where did the British pursue the Americans? 

Describe the condition of the American army? 

How did the British treat the people of New Jersey? 

What was the consequence? 

K 



1Q2 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

SECTION XX. 

BATTLE OF TRENTON, 28TH OF DECEMBER, 1776. 

On the approach of the British to the Delaware, con- 
gress adjourned its sittings from Philadelphia to Baltimore, 
and it was expected that General Howe would speedily 
make his triumphal entry into the Pennsylvanian capital. 
But a bold maneuver of Washington suddenly turned the 
tide of success. On his arrival at the Delaware, his troops 
were dwindled down to the number of 3000; but having re- 
ceived some reinforcements of Pennsylvanian militia, he de- 
termined to endeavor to retrieve his fortunes by a decisive 
stroke. The British troops were cantoned in Burlington, 
Bordentown, and Trenton, waiting for the formation of the 
ice to cross into Pennsylvania. Understanding that in the 
confidence produced by a series of successes, they were by 
no means vigilant, he conceived the possibility of taking 
them by surprise. He accordingly, on the evening of 
Christmas day, conveyed the main body of his army over 
the Delaware, and falling upon the troops quartered in 
Trenton, killed and captured about 900 of them, and re- 
crossed into Pennsylvania with his prisoners. On the 28th 
of December, he again took possession of Trenton, where 
he was soon encountered by a superior force of British, who 
drove in his advanced parties, and entered the town in the 
evening, with the intention of giving him battle the next 
morning. The two armies were separated only by a nar- 
row creek, which runs through the town. In such a posi- 
tion it should seem to be impossible that any movement on 

To what place di«l congress adjourn? 
What was Washington's maneuver? 
How many of his 17,000 troops had he left? 
Where were the British troops encamped? 
What was done at Trenton? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 103 

tho one side or on the other could pass unobserved. But 
in the darkness of the night, Washington, leaving his fires 
lighted, and a few guards to attract the attention of the en- 
emy, quitted his encampment, and, crossing a bridge over 
the creek, which had been left ungarded, directed his 
march to Princeton, where, after a short but brisk engage- 
ment, he killed 60 of the British, and took 300 prisoners. 
The rest of the royal forces were dispersed and fled in dif- 
ferent directions. Great was the surprise of Lord Corn- 
wallis, who commanded the British army at Trenton, when 
the report of the artillery at Princeton, which he at first 
mistook for thunder, and the arrival of breathless messen- 
gers, apprised him that the enemy was in his rear. Alarm- 
ed by the danger of his position, he commenced a retreat; 
and, being harassed by the militia and the countrymen who 
had suffered from the outrages perpetrated by his troops 
on their advance, he did not deem himself in safety till he 
arrived at Brunswick, from whence by means of the Rari- 
ton, he had a communication with New York. 

This splendid success inspired the Americans with re- 
newed spirits. Recruits were readily raised for their ar- 
my, which took up its winter quarters at Morristown, about 
30 miles to the northward of Brunswick; here both the 
officers and soldiers were inoculated for the small-pox. 
During this interval of comparative leisure, Washington 
urgently renewed the representations which he had before 
frequently made to the congress, of the necessity of aban- 
doning the system of enlistinf; men for limited terms of ser- 



Describc the transaction at Princeton. 

What is said of Lord Cornvvallis? 

In his retreat what ditficuUies did he meet with? 

What was tlie eiTect of this splendid success? 

Where did the American army take up its winter quarters? 

Wliat did Washington urge on congress? 



104 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

vice. The dread justly entertained by that body of a stand- 
ing army had hitherto induced them to listen coldly to his 
remonstrances on this point. But the experience of the 
last campaign corrected their views, and they resolved to 
use their utmost exertion to raise an army pledged to serve 
till the conclusion of the war. The free spirit of the Ameri- 
cans, however, could not brook enlistment for a time so 
undefined, and the congress therefore issued proposals for 
a levy of soldiers to be engaged for three years, at the same 
time offering a bounty of 100 acres of land to those who 
would accept their first proposals. Though these meas- 
ures in the end proved effectual, their accomplishment was 
slow, and in the spring of 1777, Washington's whole force 
did not amount to more than 1500 men; but with these in- 
considerable numbers he so disposed his posts, that with 
the occasional assistance of the New Jersey militia and vol- 
unteers, he for some weeks kept the British in check at 
Brunswick. At this period, the difficulties under which he 
had so long labored from the want of arms and military 
stores, were alleviated by the arrival of upwards of 20,000 
muskets, and 1000 barrels of powder, which had been pro- 
cured in France and Holland by the agency of the celebra- 
ted dramatist, Carron de Beaumarchais. 

Late in the spring of 1777, however, the utmost exer- 
tions of congress in forwarding the recruiting service could 
put no more than 7272 effective men at the disposal of 
General Washington. With this small force it was man- 
ifestly his policy to gain time, and by occupying advantage- 
ous ground, to avoid being forced to a general engagement. 
With a view, however, of inspiring his countrymen, he 

What did they resolve to do? And what proposals were issued? 
With what success did these measures meet? 
How were Wasliington's difficulties alleviated? 
What was the whole American force in 1777? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 105 

took the field before the enemy had quitted their winter 
quarters, and towards the end of May he made a move- 
ment from Morristown to Middlebrook, where he encamped 
in a strong position. General Howe no sooner heard that 
the Americans were in motion, than he advanced from 
Brunswick to Somerset Court House, apparently with an 
intention of pushing for the Delaware; but the country 
rising in arms on every side of him, he was deterred from 
prosecuting this design, and hastily measured back his 
steps to his former position. On their retreat, his troops 
committed groat ravages, and particularly incensed the in- 
habitants by burning some of their places of worship. Af- 
ter frequently trying in vain to entice Washington from 
his strong position, General Howe at length retired to Am- 
boy. There learning that his adversary had descended to 
Quibbletown, he hastened back to attack him; but had the 
mortification on his arrival at the spot lately occupied by 
the Americans, to learn that his vigilant foe had withdrawn 
into his fastnesses. Despairing of being able to penetrate 
into Pennsylvania by the way of the Jerseys, he passed 
over into Staten Island, from which point he resolved to 
prosecute the future views of his campaign by the assist- 
ance of his fleet. What those views might be, it was difli- 
cult for Washington to ascertain. The whole coast of the 
United States was open to the British commander-in-chief 
He might at his pleasure sail to the north or to the south. 
General Washington was inclined to believe that his inten- 
tion was to move up Hudson river to co-operate with Gen- 
eral Burgoyne, who was advancing with a large army on 
the Canadian frontier, and, impressed with this idea, he 

What movement did Washington make? Where did Gen. Howe advance 
What maneuvers followed? [to? 

Whither did Gen. Howe then go? 

What was the condition of the whole coae t of the United States? 
K 2 



106 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

moved a part of his army to Peekskill, whilst he posted 
another portion at Trenton, to be ready, if required, to 
march to the relief of Philadelphia. Whilst he was in this 
state of uncertainty, he received intelligence that Howe had 
embarked with 16,000 men, and had steered to the south- 
ward. Still apprehending that this might be a feint, he 
cast an anxious eye to the northward, till he was further 
informed that the British General, after looking into the 
Delaware, had proceeded to the Chesapeake. The plans of 
the invaders were then clearly developed. It was evident 
that they intended to march through the northern part of 
the State of Delaware, and talvc possession of Philadelphia. 
Much time was lost to the British by their voyage, in con- 
sequence of unfavorable winds. Though they set sail on 
the 23d of July, they did not arrive at Elk-ferry, the place 
fixed upon for their landing, till the 25th of August. Gen- 
eral Howe had no sooner disembarked his troops than he 
advanced through the country by forced marches, to within 
two miles of the American army, which having proceeded 
rapidly from Jersey to the present scene of action, was sta- 
tioned at Newport. 



SECTION XXI. 

CAPTURE OF PHILADELPHIA, 26th OF SEPTEMBER, 1776. 

On the approach of the enemy General Washington 
resolved to dispute their passage over the Brandywine 
Creek. In taking this step he appears to have acted con- 



Wliy did Washington send part of his army to Peekskill? 

In tlie mean time what did Gen. Howe do? 

What was tlie plan of the invaders? 

How near did Gen. Howe advance? 

To what station did tlie American army march? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 107 

trary to his better judgment. By throwing himself upon 
the high ground to his right, he might have brought on a 
war of posts, much better adapted to the capacities of his 
undisciplined forces, than a battle fought on equal terms. 
But he dreaded the impression which would be made upon 
the public feeling, should he leave the road to Philadel- 
phia open, and yielded to the general voice which called 
upon him to fight for the preservation of the seat of the 
American government. The action was fought at Chadd's 
ford, on the Brandy wine, on the 11th of September. On 
this occasion Howe showed his generalship by the skilful- 
ness of his combinations. While a part of his army, under 
the command of General Knyphausen, made a false attack 
at the lord, a strong column, headed by Lord Cornwallis, 
crossing the Brandy wine at its fork, turned the left of the 
Americans, and Knyphausen forcing a passage at that mo- 
ment of alarm and confusion, the Americans gave way, 
and retired to Chester, their retreat being covered by 
Wooster's brigade, which preserved its ranks unbroken. 
Their loss in killed and wounded amounted to 1200. — 
Among the latter was the Marquis de Lafayette, who, in- 
spired with zeal for the cause of freedom, had, at the age 
of nineteen, quitted his country at considerable hazard, 
and entered into the American army, in which he at 
once obtained the rank of major-general. By the event of 
the battle of the Brandy wine the country was in a great 
degree open to the British. Washington in vain made one 
or two attempts to impede their progress, and on the 26th 



What was the number of the American army ? The British? 

What induced Washington to tight at Chadd's ford? 

Describe the battle. 

What was the loss? 

What can you say of the Marquis dc Lafayette? 

At this time what was the situation of the country? 



108 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

of September, General Howe made his triumphant entry 
into Philadelphia. On his approach the congress, who had 
returned thither from Baltimore, once more took flight, 
and withdrew first to Lancaster and afterwards to York- 
town. 

General Howe, on marching to the Pennsylvanian capi- 
tal, had left a considerable number of troops at German- 
town, a few miles from that place. As these were unsup- 
ported by the main body of his army. General Washing- 
ton determined upon an attempt to cut them off. His plan 
was well laid, and the forces which he despatched on this 
expedition took the enemy by surprise, and at first drove 
all before them. But a check having been given them by a 
small party of the British who had thrown themselves into 
a stone house, they were soon opposed by the fugitives 
who had rallied in force, and obliged to retreat with loss. 

When General Howe quitted New York for the purpose 
of gaining possession of Philadelphia, he was deterred 
from making his approaches by the Delaware, by the pre- 
parations made by the Americans to obstruct the naviga- 
tion of that river. The principal of these consisted of a 
fort erected on Mud Island, which is situated in the middle 
of the river, about seven miles below the city. On a height 
on the Jersey side of the river, called Eed Bank, they had 
erected a strong battery. The channels on both sides of 
Mud Island were closed by strong and heavy chevaux de 
frise, through which was left a single passage closed by a 
boom. As it was absolutely necessary to make himself 
master of these works, in order to open a communication 
with his fleet, General Howe, gave orders that they should 



What took place on the 26th September? 
To what places did congress withdraw? 
Describe the occurrence at Germantown. 
How was the navigation of the Delaware obstructed? 



AJIERICAN REVOLUTION. 109 

be forced. In his first attack he was unsuccessful. In 
storming the battery of Red Bank, Count Donop was mor- 
tally wounded, and his troops were repulsed with consid- 
erable loss. But the bulk of the chevaux de frise having, 
by diverting the current of the river, deepened the chan- 
nel on the Pennsylvania side of Mud Island, a ship of war 
mounted with twenty-four pounders was warped through 
it into a position where she could enfilade the fort, which, 
being no longer tenable, the garrison retired from it to Red 
Bank. By these operations General Howe obtained full 
command of the Delaware, and by its means every facility 
for the conveyance of supplies to his army. 

Mr. Hancock having on the 29th of October of this year 
resigned the presidency of congress, on the 1st of Novem- 
ber ensuing, Mr. Henry Laurens was appointed to succeed 
him. 



SECTION XXH. 

BURGOYNE'S EXPEDITIOxN'. 

When the news of General Howe's success arrived in 
England, the great majority of the nation were transported 
with joy. In the defeat of Washington, the capture of 
Philadelphia, and the expulsion of the congress, the mem- 
bers of which were represented as miserable fugitives, 
seeking in trembling anxiety for a temporary shelter from 
the vengeance of the law, they fondly saw an earnest of 
the termination of the war by the submission of the rebels. 
But their exultation was speedily damped by the annuncia- 



Describc the removal of those obstructions. 

Who succeeded Mr. Hancock as president of congress? 

How were the Englisli affected by the news of Gen. Howe's success? 

How were the members of congress represented to them? 



no AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

tion of the capture by these very rebels of a whole Brit- 
ish army. 

A cursory inspection of the map of the United States 
will suffice to shew, that for the purpose of their subjuga- 
tion it was at this period of high importance to the British 
to form a communication with Canada by means of Hud- 
son river. This would have intersected the insurgent prov- 
inces, and by cutting off their intercourse with each other, 
and by hemming in the eastern States, which the British 
ministry regarded as the soul of the rebellious confederacy, 
would have exposed them to be overrun and conquered in 
detail. General Howe, therefore, was directed by the min- 
istry to operate with a part of his army northwards from 
New York, whilst General Burgoyne was instructed to en- 
ter the state of New York by its north-western frontier, 
and to make his way good to Albany, where it was intend- 
ed that he should form a junction with the forces which 
Howe should send to co-operate with him. The expedi- 
ency of this plan was so obvious that it did not escape the 
foresight of the Americans, who, in order to obviate it, had 
strongly fortified Ticonderoga, and the adjacent height of 
Mount Independence. They had also taken measures to 
obstruct the passage from Lake Champlain, and had more- 
over strengthened the defences of the Mohawk river. For 
garrisoning these posts, and for conducting the requisite 
operations in the field, they gave orders to raise an army 
of 13,600 men. 



How was their exultation damped? 

What communication was it of importance to form? 

What directions from the ministry were given to Gen. Howe? 

What to Gen. Burgoyne? To intercept these movements what had the 

Americans done? 
For effecting these objects, what had they done? 



, AMERICAN REVOLUTION. HI 

The British army destined to act under Burgoyne con- 
sisted of 7000 regulars, furnished with every requisite for 
war, especially with a fine train of artillery. These were 
supported by a number of Canadians, and a considerable 
body of Indians. It was arranged in the plan of the cam- 
paign, that whilst Burgoyne, at the head of these forces 
should pour into the State of New York, from Lake Cham- 
plain, a detachment under the command of Col. St. Leger 
should march towards Lake Ontario, and penetrate in the 
direction of Albany, by the JMohawk river, wiiich falls into 
the Hudson a little above that town. 
I General Burgoyne arrived at Quebec on the 6th of May, 
and immediately putting himself at the head of his army, 
he proceeded up Lake Champlain to Crown Point. Here 
I he was joined by the Indians, to whom he made a speech, 
' in which he inculcated upon them the virtue of mildness, 
1 and strictly forbade them to destroy any persons except in 
* battle. An ancient Iroquois chieftain, in the name of his 
comrades, promised strict compliance with the general's 
I injunctions. From Crown Point the royal army directed 
I its march to Ticonderoga. Here General Burgoyne ex- 
pected to encounter a powerful opposition, as he well knew 
i that the Americans had flattered themselves that by the 
I fortifications which they had erected on it, they had ren- 
j dered it almost impregnable. But the forces which had 
; been destined to its defence had not arrived. General St. 
I Clair had not men enough to man his lines. He saw his 
I position nearly surrounded by the enemy, who were erect- 



Describe Gen. Burgoyne's army. 

How was the campaign arranged? 

From duebec, where did Gen. Burgoyne proceed? 

What did he here say to tlic Indians? 

What did he expect to encounter? 

What American General was at Ticonderoga? What was his Bituauon? 



112 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

ing a battery on a hill which commanded his entrench- 
ments. In these circumstances, a council of war unani- 
mously recommended to their commander the evacuation 
of Ticonderoga, which he effected with suchsgood order 
and secrecy, that he was enabled to bring off a great part 
of the public stores. He left behind him, however, ninety- 
three pieces of ordnance, which fell into the hands of the 
British. The retreating Americans took the road to Skeens- 
borough, which is situated at the southern extremity of 
Lake George. In their flight they were briskly pursued 
by General Fraser by land, whilst Burgoyne attacked and 
destroyed their flotilla on Lake George; and so closely 
were they pressed by this combined movement, that they 
were compelled to set fire to their stores and boats at 
Skeensborough, and take refuge in Fort Anne, a few miles 
to the southward of that place. Here, however, they did 
not long find shelter. Their rear guard was attacked and 
routed by Colonel Fraser, at Hubbardton ; and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Hill having been sent forward from Skeensborough, 
by General Burgoyne, with the 9th regiment of foot, to 
make an assault on Fort Anne, the provincials, after a short, 
but brisk engagement, withdrew to Fort Edward, which is 
situated on the Hudson river. Here their scattered forces 
being collected, were found to amount to no more than 4400 
men, who being unable to cope with their victorious pur- 
suers, soon found themselves under the necessity of mak- 
ing another retrograde movement in the direction of Al- 
bany. This long series of successes filled the minds of 
the British with exultation. They had beaten the enemy 

What did the council of war advise him to do? 

Describe his retreat, and the pursuit. 

What events transpired at Fort Anne? 

To what did the forces of Gen. St. Clair amount? 

What were the feelings of the British? 



AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 113 

in every encounter; had forced them from their fastnesses, 
and entertained sanguine hopes of driving them before' 
them till the co-operating force which they presumed Gren- 
eral Howe was sending up the Hudson should intercept 
their retreat, and put them between two fires. Burgoyne 
issued proclamations in the style of a conqueror, summon- 
ing the inhabitants of the district in which he was operat- 
ing to aid his pursuit of the fugitive rebels. The assist- 
ance which he called for was very necessary, not for pur- 
suit, but defence — his difficulties were now commencing. 
Instead of falling back from SkeensboroujTh to Ticonder- 
oga, and advancing from the latter place by Lake George, 
(a movement which he declined, as having the appearance 
of a retreat,) he determined to march across the country 
from Skeensborough to Fort Edward; but the road was so 
broken up — it w^as so intersected with creeks and rivulets, 
the bridges over which had been broken down, and so 
much embarrassed with trees cut down on each side, and 
thrown across it with entangled branches, that it was with 
immense labor he could advance a mile a day. When he 
had at length penetrated to Fort Edward, which he reach- 
ed on the 30th of July, he found it abandoned by the ene- 
my, who by their retreat left free his communication with 
Lake George, from which he obtained supplies of stores 
and provisions conveyed by land from Fort George to Hud- 
son river, and thence floated down to his camp. 



W^hat was the character of Burgoyne's proclamation? 

But what were now commencing? 

Where did Gen. Burgoyne determine to march? 

With what difficulties did he meet? 

From whence was his army supplied? 

L 



( • 



114 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

SECTION XXIII. 

FAILURE OF BURGOYNES EXPEDITION. 

The delay gave the Americans time to recover from the 
consternation into which they had been thrown by the loss 
of Ticonderoga, and the subsequent mislbrtimes of their 
army. Determined to make amends for their previous 
dilatoriness by instant activity, they flew to arms. The 
plundering of Jersey had taught them that peaceable con- 
duct and submission afforded no protection against British 
rapine ; and they were persuaded, that whatever might be 
the wishes of General Burgoyne, he had not power to re- 
strain his Indian auxiliaries from practising their accus- 
tomed savage mode of warfare. Looking for safety, then, 
only to their swords, and judging from their knowledge of 
the country, that the farther hhe British commander ad- 
vanced, the greater would be his difficulties, they hastened 
their reinforcements from every town and hamlet in the 
vicinity of the seat of war, and soon increased the army of 
St. Clair to the number of 13,000 men. 

Whilst General Burgoyne was making his way to the 
Hudson, Lieutenant-Colonel St. Leger had arrived at the 
Mohawk river, and was laying siege to Fort Schuyler. 
Receiving intelligence that General Herkimer was has- 
tening at the head of a body of troops to the relief of 
the place, he sent a detachment with instructions to lie 
in ambush on his line of march, and to cut him off". These 
instructions were so well obeyed, that Herkimer fell into 
the snare, his troops were dispersed, and he himself was 
killed. St. Leger now entertained sanguine hopes of 

What motires produced such an increase of Gen. St. Clair's army? 
What was now doing at Fort Schuyler? 
What happened to Gen. Herkimer? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 115 

speedily taking the fort- but the Indians who composed a 
considerable part of his little army, taking alarm at the 
news of the approach of General Arnold, at the head of a 
detachment, whose numbers were purposely exaggerated 
by an American emissary in their camp, insisted on an im- 
mediate retreat. This mutiny compelled St. Leger to 
raise the seige, and to retire to Canada leaving behind 
him a great part of his artillery and stores. 

When General Burgoyne was informed of the arrival of 
St. Leger before Fort Schuyler, he thought it very expe- 
dient to make a forward movement towards Albany, for the 
purpose of co-operating with that officer, and also with the 
British troops who were, as he expected, advancing up the 
Hudson. The principal objection to this step was, that it 
would necessarily remove him to a perilous distance from 
his supplies, which were collected at Fort Edward. With 
I a view, therefore, of procuring a plentiful stock of pro- 
I visions from a nearer point, he dispatched Lieutenant-Col- 
inel Baum with 600 men, of whom 100 were Indians, with 
I instructions to seize and convey to his camp a considerable 
I magazine of flour and other supplies which the Americans 
j had established at Bennington, in the district of Vermont. 
'Baum, being erroneously informed that the inhabitants of 
I that part of the country were favorably disposed towards 
I the British, marched forwards without due precaution, till, 
ion approaching Bennington, he found the enemy assembled 
(in force in his front. In this exigency he took possession 

Iof an advantageous post, where he entrenched himself, and 
sent to Burgoyne for succour. Colonel Breyman was de- 
tached to reinforce him; but before the arrival of that offi- 

I How was a mutiny raised, and what was the effect? 

( What step did Gen. Burgoyne think of? What objection was there to it? 

I How did he endeavor to procure provisions? 
By what error was Baum deceived? 
( Describe wlmt followed at Bennington* 
f 



116 AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 

cer, the fate of his countryman was decided. Baiim had 
been attacked by the American General Stark, had lost his 
field-pieces, and had witnessed the death or capture of most 
of his detachment. On his arrival at the scene of slaugh- 
ter, Breyman was also vigorously assailed, and compelled 
to retreat with the loss of his artillery.* 

The failure of this expedition was most disastrous to the 
British commander-in-chief, who, being disappointed of re- 
ceiving the expected supplies from Vermont, was obliged to 
await the arrival of provisions from Fort George, by 
which he was delayed from the 15th of August to the 13th 
of September. This interval of time was well improved by 
the Americans, who, flushed with their success against 
Baum and Breyman, pressed on the British with increased 
numbers and increased confidence. They were also cheer- 

* 'General Stark pursued their flying forces until dark, and was obliged to 
draw off his men, to prevent them from firing at each other under cover of 
night. "With one hour more of daylight," as he writes in his oflicial report, 
"he would have captured the whole body." The fruits of the victory were 
four pieces of brass cannon, several hundred stand of arms, eight brass drums, 
a quantity of German broadswords, and about seven hundred prisoners. Two 
hundred and seven were killed upon the spot; the number of the wounded was 
not ascertained. Colonel Baum was wounded and made a prisoner, and shortly 
after died of his wounds. The loss of the Americans was thirty killed and forty 
wounded.' 

'Several anecdotes of this affair have been recorded, and the following de- 
serves a repetition. Among the reinforcements from Berkshire county came a 
clergyman, with a portion of his flock, resolved to make bare the arm of flesh 
against the enemies of the country. Before daylight on the morning of the 
16th, he addressed the commander as follows. "We the people of Berkshire, 
have been frequently called upon to fight, but have never been led against the 
enemy. We have now resolved, if you will not let us fightj never to turn out 
again." General Stark asked him "if he wished to march then, when it was 
dark and rainy." "No," was the answer. "Then," continued Stark, "if the 
Lord should once more give us sunshine, and I do not give you fighting enough, 
I will never ask you to come again." The weather cleared up in the course of 
the day, and the men of Berkshire followed their spiritual guide into action.' 



What were the effects of this defeat on the British? 

What on the Americans? Who arrived at this moment? For what object? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 117 

ed to vigorous exertion by the arrival at this critical mo- 
ment of General Gates, who was commissioned by congress 
to take the command of the Northern army. 

After most anxious deliberation, General Burgoyne, 
having by extraordinary exertions collected provisions for 
thirty days, crossed the Hudson river on the 13th of Sep- 
tember, and advanced to within two miles of General 
Gates's camp, which was situated about three miles to the 
northward of Stillwater. Gates boldly advanced to meet 
him, and a hard fought battle ensued, which, though not 
decisive, was very detrimental to the British, as it shook 
the fidelity of their Indian allies and of the Canadians, who 
now began to desert in great numbers. The desertion of 
the Indians was accelerated by the following tragical inci- 
dent. J\Iiss M'Rea, an American lady, who resided in the 
vicinity of the British encampment, being engaged to mar- 
ry Captain Jones, an officer of Burgoyne's army, her lover, 
being anxious for her safety, as he understood that her at- 
tachment to himself and the loyalty of her father had ren- 
dered her an object of persecution to her countrymen, 
engaged some Indians to escort her within the British lines, 
promising to reward the person who should bring her safe 
to him, with a barrel of rum. Two of these emissaries 
having found the destined bride, and communicated to her 
their commission, she without hesitation, consented to ac- 
company them to the place of meeting appointed by Captain 
Jones. But her guides unhappily quarrelling on the way, 
as to which of them should present her to Mr. Jones and 
receive the promised recompense, one of them, to termin- 
ate the dispute, cleft her skull with his tomahawk, and laid 
her dead at his feet. This transaction struck the whole 



Describe the battle near Stillwater. 

By what incident was the desertion of the Indians hastened? 

l2 



118 AilERICAN REVOLUTION. 

British army with horror. General Burgoyne, on hearing 
of it, indignantly demanded that the murderer should be 
given up to condign punishment. Prudential considerations, 
however, prevented his being put to death, as he well de- 
served. Burgoyne was ot' opinion, that his pardon upon 
terms would be more efficacious in preventing further bar 
barities than his execution : he, theretore, spared his life' 
upon condition that his countrymen would form that time 
forth, abstain from perpetrating any cruelties on the un- 
armed inhabitants, or on those whom they had vanquished 
in battle. As the Earl of Harrington at a subsequent pe- 
riod stated in his examination before the House of Com- 
mons, he told their interpreter 'that he would lose every In- 
dian rather than connive at their enormities.' The sava- 
ges at first seemed willing to comply with his renewed in- 
junctions; but resentment rankled in their breasts at his 
interference with their habits of warfare, the respect with 
which they had once looked up to him was impaired by 
their knowledge of the dithculties of his situation, and they 
soon began to quit the camp, loaded with their accumulated 
plunder. Thus checked in his progress, and deserted bv 
his allies, Burgoyne sent urgent letters to Sir Henry Clin- 
ton, who commanded at New York, entreating him to has- 
ten forwards the co-operative forces on which he relied for 
safety and success, and apprising him that want of pro- 
visions would preclude him from remaining in his present 
position beyond the 12th of October. This renewed delay 
dispirited his own troops, and swelled the numbers of the 
hostile army, which received recruits from every quarter. 
On the 7th of October, Burgoyne in person, accompanied 
by Generals Phillips, Reidesel, and Fraser, issued from 

Why dill Burgoyne spare the Indian's life? What letters were written? 

What were their contents? 

On the 7th Oct. what took place? 



AMERICAN REVOLXTTION. 119 

his camp at the head of 1500 men, for the purpose of 
making a reconnoissance and of foraging. This move- 
ment brought on a general engagement, at the close of 
which the British were driven within their lines, and a 
part of them was forced. This circumstance compelled 
Burgoyne to change his position, which maneuver he per- 
formed in a masterly manner, and without sustaining any 
loss. It was, indeed, from this time, the policy of the 
American general to avoid a pitched battle, and to reduce 
his enemy by harrassing him and cutting off his retreat, and 
depriving him of supplies. 

The situation of General Burgoyne was most distres- 
sing. By extraordinary efforts he had forced his way to 
within a few miles of Albany, the point of his destination, 
I and had he been seconded by correspondent exertions on 
the part of the British southern army, he would have effect- 
ed the object of his campaign. Sir Henry Clinton seems 
to have had no precise or early instructions as to co-opera- 
ting with him. Certain it is, that it was not till the third 
of October that he moved up the Hudson to his assistance.* 
Sir Henry easily surmounted every obstacle which present- 
ed itself on his route. He took Fort Montgomery by 
assault, and by removing a boom and chain which was 

* "The expedition of Sir H. Clinton up Hudson river "could not before havo 
been attempted, without leaving the defences of New York too feebly guarded." 
A body of recruits arrived from Europe at New York about the last of Septem- 
ber, and it was then undertaken; but, if Stcdman be correct, the relief of Bur- 
goyne was not primarily intended. " The object of Sir Henry Clinton was to 
take possession of the forts which forbade the passage of our [British] vessels 
up to Albany; and the ulterior view in the measure was not so much to creato 
a diversion in favor of General Burgoyne (the necessity of which was not sub. 
pected), as to open a communication which might have been important when 
that commander should have fixed himself at Albany." Stcdman, i. 353. 

What was the policy of the'Amcricans from this time? 
Why did Gen. Burgoyne not reach Albany? 



120 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

stretched from that fortress across the Hudson, he opened 
the navigation of that river to his flotilla, which, with a 
fair wind might have speedily made its passage to Half 
Moon, within sixteen miles of Gates's encampment. But 
instead of hastening to the relief of their countrymen, the 
several divisions of Clinton's army employed themselves 
in plundering and burning the towns and villages situated 
on the banks of the river, and in the adjacent country. — 
Amongst those who distinguished themselves in this preda- 
tory warfare. General Vaughan rendered himself pre- 
eminently conspicuous. Having been ordered to advance 
up the river, by Sir Henry Clinton, he landed at the town 
of ^Esopus, and finding it evacuated by the American for- 
ces, to whom its defence had been intrusted, though he did 
not encounter the slightest opposition on the part of the 
inhabitants, he permitted his troops to plunder it, and after- 
wards so completely reduced it to ashes, that he did not 
leave a single house standing. This outrage excited a cry 
of indignation throughout the United States, and drew from 
General Gates a letter of severe remonstrance. But the 
British had much more reason to inculpate Vaughan than 
the Americans. His delay at ^Esopus sealed the ruin of 
the royal cause. Vaughan was at jEsopus on the 13th of 
October. The tide of the flood would have borne him, in 
four hours, to Albany, where he might have destroyed 
Gates's stores, and thus have reduced the American gen- 
eral to the necessity of liberating General Burgoyne, who 
did not surrender till the 16th, and of retreating into New 

What were Sir Henry Clinton's movements? 

How did Gen. Vaughan distinguish himself? 

What was excited by this outrage? 

What effect had his delay on the royal cause? Why so? 

At what time did Burgoyne surrender? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 121 

England. Upon such narrow turns of contingencies does 
the issue of the combinations of warfare frequently de- 
pend? 



SECTION XXIV. 

CONVENTION OF SARATOGA, 13th OF OCTOBER, 1777. 

In the mean time, the difficulties in which Burgoyne was 
involved were hourly accumulating. With a view of cut- 
ting off his retreat, Gates posted 1400 men opposite the 
fords of Saratoga, and 2000 more on the road from that 
place to Fort Edward. On receiving intelligence of this, 
Burgoyne retreated to Saratoga, leaving his sick and wound- 
ed to the humanity of the enemy. Finding it impossible 
to force his way over the fords of Saratoga, he attempted 
to open to his army a passage to Lake George; but the 
artificers, whom he sent under a strong escort to repair the 
bridges on the road thither, were driven away by the Amer- 
ican forces. The road to Fort Edward, also, was found 
by the scouts who had been sent to reconnoiter in that 
direction, to be strongly guarded. When the 13th day 
of October arrived, Burgoyne had received no satisfac- 
tory tidings t^rom Clinton's army. He saw himself in a 
manner surrounded by the enemy, whose cannon-shot flew 
in every direction through his camp. Though he had for 
some time past put his troops on short allowance, he found 
on inspection that he had only three days' rations left in 
his stores. In these trying circumstances, with heavy 
heart he summoned a council of war, which came to a 



Why (lid Burgoyne retreat to Saratoga? 
Describe bis situation? 



122 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



unanimous resolution, that in their present position they 
would be justified in accepting a capitulation on honorable 
terms. A negotiation was according opened. The first 
proposal of Gates, namely, that the royal forces should 
ground their arms in their lines, and surrender prisoners 
at discretion, was indignantly rejected. After further dis- 
cussion, a convention was at length agreed upon, the prin- 
cipal conditions of which were, 'that the British troops 
were to march out of their camp with the honors of war 
and the artillery of the entrenchments to the verge of the 
river, where the arms and the artillery were to^ be left; 
the arms to be piled by word of command from their own 
officers; and that a free passage was to be granted to the 
army to Great Britain, upon condition of not serving again 
ill North America during the present contest.' Thouo-h 
the first proposals of General Gates were harsh, his subs^'e- 
quent conduct was marked with the characteristics of con- 
ciliation and delicacy. When the convention was signed, 
he withdrew his troops into their lines, to spare the British 
the pain of piling their arms in the presence of a triumph- 
ant enemy. He received the vanquished general with the 
respect due to his valor and to his military skill; and in an 
entertainment which he gave at his quarters to the princi- 
pal British officers, his urbanity and kindness soothed the 
mortification which could not but embitter their spirits. 

By the convention of Saratoga, 5790 men surrendered 
as prisoners; and besides the muskets piled by these cap- 

What did his counsel resolve? 

What was the first proposal of Gates? 

How was it received? 

What was the second proposal? 

How did Gates receive the vanquished? 

What was the number of prisoners that surrendered? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 123 

lives, thirty-five brass field-pieces, and a variety of stores 
were given up to the victors.* 



SECTION XXV. 

TREATY WITH FRANCE, 6tu OF FEBRUARY, 1778. 

Immediately after the surrender of Biirgoyne, Gates 
moved down the Hudson to put a stop to the devastation of 
the country by Clinton's army, which, on his approach, 
retired to New York. He then sent forward a considera- 
ble reinforcement to General Washington, who, soon after 

*•' riie wliole number, wliicli surrendered, was 5752- 

Britisli troops, - 2442 

Brunswick and other German troops, ... - 2198 
Canadians, Volunteers, c^c. ----.■ 1100 

"Staff, - 12 

5752 

Sick and wounded left in tlic British camp when Burgoync bcj^an 

his retreat, 528 

Besides the above, there were killed, wounded, taken, and desert- 
ed, between 6th July and IGth October, .... 2933 

Total, 9213" 
Remembrancer fur 1777, p. 477. 

"The whole army of Gen. Gates consisted of 9093 continental troops. TJie 
number of the militia fluctuated; nut, when the convention was sij,'ncd, ii 
amounted to 4129. The sick exceeded 2500. At the same time there were 39 
brass cannon complete, royals and mortars included; 5000 stand of arms; 400 
sets of harness, a number of ammunition wagons, SfC. The troops under Gen. 
Burgoyne were to march out of their camp with the honors of war; and a free 
passage was to be granted them to Great Britain, on condition of not serving 
again in North America during the present contest." 

What the number of brass field pieces taken? 

Where did Gates move to after the surrender of Burgoyne? For what 

object? What did he send forward to Gen. Washington? 
Where did Clinton retire to? 



124 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



its arrival, advanced to White Marsh, within fourteen miles 
of Philadelphia, where he encamped in a strong position. 
When General Howe received intelligence of this move- 
ment, he marched out of his quarters on the night of the 
4th of December; but after various maneuvers, finding that 
he could gain no advantage over his vigilant adversary, he 
returned to Philadelphia. Washington then took up his 
winter quarters about sixteen miles from the city, at a place 
called Valley Forge, where his men, ill-supplied as they 
were with clothing, blankets, and other comforts, cheer- 
fully constructed huts to shelter themselves from the in- 
clemency of the season. By taking up this position he 
protected the province of Pennsylvania from the incursions 
of the enemy, and reduced the fruits of Howe's various 
successes to the occupation of a single additional city— an 
advantage by no means calculated to console the British 
for the loss of an able general, and a gallant army. 

General Burgoyne had drunk deep of the bitter cup of 
affliction at Saratoga; but he was doomed to suffer still far- 
ther mortification. As the British regarded the Americans 
as rebels, they did not always in the course of hostilities 
observe towards them those rules which guide the conduct 
of nations engaged in war against a foreign enemy. The 
truth of history, indeed, cannot suppress the melancholy 
fact, that at the beginning of the contest, and, occasionally, 
durmg its progress, the treatment of the American prison- 
ers, on the part of the British authorities, was extremely 
harsh and severe; and that capitulations made with such 
portions of the patriotic army, as had by the fortune of war 
been reduced to a surrender, had not always been observed 

What movements were made by Washington and Howe? 
Where were their winter quarters? 
Describe Gen. Washington's army. 
What cannot be suppressed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 126 

with courtesy, or even with a due and strict regard to their 
essential provisions. The congress, reflecting on these 
incidents, felt no small apprehension that if the army 
which had surrendered at Saratoga should be allowed to 
embark, instead of sailing for England, according to the 
terms of the capitulation, it would join the forces of Gen- 
eral Howe. They therefore studied to find a pretext for 
breaking the convention. For this purpose they addres- 
sed a number of queries to General Gates, as to the man- 
ner in which the British had fulfilled the conditions of their 
surrender, but he assured them that on the part of the Brit- 
ish the convention had been exactly observed. The pre- 
text, however, which they could not obtain from their gal- 
lant countryman, was supplied by the imprudence of Bur- 
goyne. Among other articles of the convention, it had 
been stipulated that the captive British officers should du- 
ring their stay in America, be accommodated with quarters 
correspondent to their rank. This stipulation having been 
but ill observed in the crowded barracks at Cambridge, 
near Boston, where the surrendered army was quartered, 
Burgoyne addressed to Gates a letter of remonstrance on 
this subject, in which he declared that by the treatment 
which his officers had experienced, ' the public fliith plight- 
ed at Saratoga, had been broken on the part of the United 
States.' Gates, in the discharge of his duty, transmitted 
this letter to congress, who read it with joy; and affecting 
to find in the phrase above quoted, a pretext set up by the 
British general to vindicate a meditated violation of the 
convention, they resolved that ' the embarkation of General 
Burgoyne and the troops under his command should be 
susp'^ended till a distinct and explicit ratification of the con- 

What pretext did Congress wish to find? Why? 
How did congress obtain the same? 
What resolution was passed thrercupon? 

M 



^^^ AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

vention of Saratoga should be properly notified by the 
court of Great Britain.' In vain did Burgoyne remonstrate 
against this resolution-in vain did he explain his phrase- 
ology, and offer to give any conceivable pledge of the sin- 
cerity of his intentions to fulfil his engagements. The 
congress was enexorable-his troops- remained as prison- 
ers; and after wasting some time in vain endeavors to pro- 
cure them redress, he sailed on his parole for England, 
where he was refused admittance into the presence of his 
sovereign,deniedthejustice of a court-martial on his con- 
duct, and subjected to a series of ministerial persecutions- 
grievous, indeed, to a sensitive mind, but, in effect, more 
disgraceful to their inflictors than to their victim. 

At the time when the American leaders contemplated the 
declaration of independence, they entertained sanguine 
hopes that the rivalry which had so long subsisted between 
France and England would induce the former power to 
assist them in throwing off the yoke of the mother country • 
and early in the year 1776, the congress sent Silas Dean J 
as their accredited agent to Paris, where he was afterwards 
joined by Dr. Franklin and Arthur Lee, and instructed to 
solicit the French court to enter into a treaty of allianct) 
and commerce with the United States. The celebrity of 
Franklin gained him the respect, and his personal quali- 
ties obtained him the esteem of individuals of the highest 
rank in the French capital. But the Comte de Vergennes, 
then prime minister, acted with caution. He gave the' 
Americans secret aid, and connived at various measures 



How wag Burgoyne received in England? 

What hopes had been entertained by the American leaders? 

By whom were tlie United States represented at Paris? 

What were their instructions? 

What is said of Franklin ? 

Who was the French prime minister? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 127 

which their agents took to further their cause, by the pro- 
curing of arms and military stores, and by annoying the 
British commerce. The encouragement which Franklin 
and his associates received, varied according to the success 
or disasters of the American forces.* But the capture of 
Burgoyne's army decided the hesitating councils of France; 
and on the 6th of February, 1778, his most christian ma- 
jesty acknowledged and guaranteed the independence of 
the United States, and entered into a treaty of alliance and 
commerce with the infant republic of North America. Of 
this circumstance the French ambassador, on the 13th of 
March, gave official notice to his majesty's ministers in a 
rescript couched in respectful terms, but concluding with an 
intimation, 'that the French king, being determined effectu- 
ally to protect the lawful commerce of his subjects, and to 

* 'Tlie American coinnassioncrs at Paris wrote to congress on the 18th of 
Deceinber, 1777, acknovvlctlging tlie receipt of Despatches of the 6tli of Goto, 
her, dated at York Town. " Tlicy came to us by a packet from Boston, which 
brou'^'lit the great news of Burgoyne's defeat and surrender, news that appa- 
rently occasioned as much general joy in France, as if it liad been a victory of 
their own troops over their own enemies; such is the universally warm and sin- 
cere good will and attachment to us and our cause in this nation. Wc took the 
opportunity of pressing the ministry, by a short memorial, to a conclusion of 
our proposed Treaty, which had so long been under their consideration, and 
been from time to time postponed. On signifying to the ministry the import- 
ance it might be at this juncture, when probably Britain would be making some 
proposition of accommodation, that the congress sliould be informed explicitly 
what might he expected from France and Spain, M. Gerard, one of the secreta- 
ries came yesterday to inform us by order of the king, that after long and full 
consideration of our affairs and propositions in council, it was decided, and his 
majesty was determined to acknowledge our Independence, and make Treaty 
with us of Amity and Couunerce." ' 

MS. Papers of the late Chief Justice Dana. 



What was his conduct towards the American agents? 
On the 6th of February, 1778, what did the French king do? 
What decided the councils of France? 
In what terms was the rescript couched? 



128 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

maintain the dignity of his flag, had, in consequence taken 
effectual measures for these purposes, in concert with the 
United States of America. With whatever urbanity thiscom- 
munication might be made by the ambassador, the British 
ministers regarded it, as it was intended to be, as a declara- 
tion of war; and on the 17th of March they notified its re- 
ception to the House of Commons. Their notification was 
accompanied by a message from the king, expressing the 
necessity he was under to resent this unprovoked aggres- 
sion, and his firm reliance on the zealous and affectionate 
support of his faithful people. To this message the Com- 
mons returned a dutiful answer, assuring his majesty that 
they would stand by him in asserting the dignity of the 
crown, and the honor of the nation. 



SECTION XXVI. 

REJECTION OF LORD NORTH'S OVERTURES, JUNE, 1778. 

The intelligence of the surrender of General Burgoyne 
and his army overwhelmed Lord North with dismay ; and 
the annunciation of the treaty between the United States 
and France at once dissipated the feeble hope which he 
might yet have entertained of subduing the revolted colo- 
nies by force of arms. His only remaining resource, then, 
to prevent that jewel from being forever torn from the 
British crown, was to form, by an act of parliament, a 
kind of federal union with the North American provinces, 
which, whilst it reserved their allegiance to the British 
sovereign, should virtually concede to them the entire man- 



How wag thi8 regarded by the British ministers? 

What answer was returned by the House of Commons? 

How was the news of Burgoyne's surrender received by Lord North? 

Whose hope was dissipated? By what? 

To what did he resort? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. !29 

agement of their internal concerns. With this view, on the 
17th of February, 1778, he introduced into the House of 
Commons two conciliatory bills, by which he proposed to 
concede to the colonies every thing which they demanded 
before their declaration of independence, viz : exemption 
from internal parliamentary taxation, the appointment 
of their own governors and superior magistrates; and, 
moreover, an exemption from the keeping up of any mili- 
tary force in any of the colonies without the consent of 
their respective assembles. It was provided, that commis- 
sioners should be appointed by the crown, to negotiate with 
the congress on the basis of these propositions. The 
speech in which his lordship introduced these bills into the 
House of Commons was marked by a curious mixture of 
humiliation of tone, and affected confidence and courage. 
The coercive acts, which under his influence had been 
passed into laws, were, said he, such as appeared to be ne- 
cessary at the time, though in the event they had produced 
effects which he had never intended. As soon as he found 
that they had failed in their object, before a sword was 
drawn he brought forward a conciliatory proposition (mean- 
ing the act for admitting to the king's peace any individual 
colonies which might make the requisite concessions); but 
that in consequence of the proposition having been made 
the subject of debate in parliament, it went damned to 
America, so that the congress conceived, or took occasion 
to represent it, as a scheme for sowing divisions, and intro- 
ducini^ taxation amons: them in a worse mode than the 



What was the character of the two bills which he introduced into the 

House of Commons? 
What did they provide? 
By what was his speech marked? 
What did he first say? 

m2 



130 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

former. Then, making a fatal admission of the trifling 
nature of the object which had produced so much ill blood 
between the colonies and the mother country, he confessed 
that his idea never had been to draw any considerable rev- 
enue from America ; that his wish was, that the colonists 
should contribute in a very low proportion to the expenses 
of Great Britain. He was very well aware that American 
taxation could never produce a beneficial revenue, and that 
many taxes could not be laid or collected in the colonies. 
The stamp-act, however, seemed to be judiciously chosen as 
a fiscal experiment, as it interested every man who had any 
dealing or property to defend or recover, in the collection 
of the tax and the execution of the statute; but this exper- 
iment had failed in consequence of the obstinacy of the 
Americans, in transacting all business without using the 
stamps prescribed by law. The act enabling the East 
India Company to send tea to America on their own ac- 
count, and with the draw-back of the whole duty in England, 
was a relief instead of an oppression; but this measure 
had been defeated by contraband traders, who had too suc- 
cessfully misrepresented it as an invasion of colonial rights. 
Having thus detailed the difficulties with which minis- 
ters had been called to struggle in legislating for so per- 
verse a generation as the Americans had proved them- 
selves to be, his lordship then proceeded to open his plan, 
the outline of which has been given above; and, in descant- 
ing on the ample powers with which he proposed to invest 
the commissioners, and foreseeing that the Americans 
might refuse to treat with these agents of the Sovereign 
without a previous acknowledgement of their indepen- 

Then what did he admit? 

What did he say of the stamp-act? 

What about the teal 

What did he then proceed to? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 131 

dence, he humbled himself so fai* as to say, that he would 
not insist on their renouncing their independence till the 
treaty should receive its final ratification from the King 
and parliament of Great Britain ; and then, in a manner 
confessing that, instead of a sovereign assembly the par- 
liament was reduced to the condition of a supplicant to the 
mutinous colonies, he proposed that the commissioners 
should be instructed to negotiate with them for some rea- 
sonable and moderate contribution towards the common 
defence of the empire when re-united ; but, to take away 
all pretence for not terminating this unhappy difference, 
the contribution was not to be insisted on as a sine qua non 
of the treaty; but that if the Americans should refuse so 
reasonable and equitable a proposition, they were not to 
look for support from that part of the empire to whose ex- 
pense they had refused to contribute. Weakly attempting 
to obviate the imputation that these pacific measures were 
the fruit of fear, occasioned by the recent successes of the 
insurgents, he called the House to witness that he had de- 
clared for conciliation at the beginning of the session, when 
he thought that the victories of General Howe had been 
more decisive, and when he knew nothing of the misfor- 
tunes of Burgoyne. He acknowledged that the events of 
the war had turned out very differently from his expecta- 
tion, but maintained that for the disappointment of the 
hopes of the' public no blame was imputable to himself; 
that he had promised that a great army should be sent out, 
and a great army, an army of upwards of 60,000 men, had 
been sent out; that he had promised .that a great fleet 
should be employed, and a great fleet had been employed ; 

How far did he humble himself? 

What did he in a manner confess? What did he propose? 

What did lie weakly attempt? 

What did he acknowledge? 

What maintain? Why? 



132 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

that he had engaged that this army and this fleet should be 
provided with every kind of supply, and that they had been 
supplied most amply and liberally, and might be so for 
years to come ; and that if the House was deceived, they 
had deceived themselves. The prime minister, having 
thus by implication attributed the failure of his plans to 
the commanders of the British forces employed to conduct 
the war, concluded his speech by a boastful assertion, that 
the strength of the nation was still entire ; that its resour- 
ces were ample, and that it was able, if it were necessary, 
to carry on the war much longer. The disavowal on the 
part of Lord North of any intention to raise a revenue in 
America, seems to have given no little umbrage to the 
country gentlemen, whose organ, Mr. Baldwin, exclaimed, 
that he had been deceived by the minister; that three years 
ago he had asked him whether a revenue was meant by 
the measures which he then proposed to enforce ; that he 
was answered it was, and that upon that ground alone he 
had hitherto voted with the ministry. The regular op- 
position were, upon the whole, more moderate than the 
landed aristocracy. Mr. Fox approved of Lord North's 
propositions, which, he reminded him, were in substance 
the same as those which were in vain brought forward by 
Mr. Burke about three years before. He did not, how- 
ever, restrain himself from making some severe animad- 
versions on the policy of the Premier, all whose argu- 
ments, he asserted, might be collected into'one point, his 
excuses all reduced to one apology — his total ignorance. 
'He hoped,' exclaimed the indignant orator, 'he hoped, 

To whom did the Prime Minister attribute the failure? 

How was this speech received? 

What did Mr. Baldwin say? 

What did Mr. Fox say of the Premier's policy? 

To what miglit Lord North's excuses be reduced? 

How did Mr. Fox proceed in liis observations? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 133 

and was disappointed; he Texpected a great deal, and 
found little to answer his expectations. He thought 
the Americans would have submitted to his laws, and 
they resisted them. He thought they would have sub- 
mitted to his armies, and they were beaten by inferior 
numbers. He made conciliatory propositions, and he 
thought they would succeed, but they were rejected. He 
appointed commissioners to make peace, and he thought 
they had powers ; but he found they could not make peace, 
and nobody believed they had any powers. He had said 
many such things as he had thought fit in his conciliatory 
propositions; he thought it a proper method of quieting the 
Americans upon the affair of taxation. If any person 
should give himself the trouble of reading that proposition, 
he would find not one word of it correspondent to the re- 
presentation made of it by its framer. The short account of 
it was, that the noble lord in the proposition assured the 
colonies, that when Parliament had taxed them as much as 
they thought proper, they would tax them no more.' In 
conclusion, however, Mr. Fox said 'that he would vote for 
the present proposition, because it was much more clear 
and satisfactory, for necessity had caused him to speak 
plain.' The conciliatory bills, in their passage through 
the two Houses, excited many animated debates, in the 
course of which Lord North was exposed to much animad- 
version, which he seems to have borne with great equani- 
mity. At length, all points relative to them being settled 
by Parliament, they were sanctioned by the royal assent. 
But the urgency of danger would not allow ministers to 
wait till they were passed into a law ; and the same states- 
men who had a little time before treated the petitions of 
the colonies with scorn and contempt, hastened to commu- 



How close? At length what was done? 
What did ministers hasten to do? 



134 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

nicate their propositions whilst yet in the shape of bills, to 
the Congress, in hopes that the adoption on their part of a 
milder policy might be met with a similar spirit of con- 
ciliation on the other side of the Atlantic. These documents 
were dispatched in such haste, that they arrived at New 
York in time to be presented by Sir William Howe to the 
Congress, before that assembly had received intelligence 
of the signature of their treaty of alliance with France. 
The American legislators did not, however, hesitate as to 
the line of conduct which in these circumstances it became 
them to pursue. They peremptorily rejected the proposals 
of Lord North as insidious and unsatisfactory. During 
the progress of the conciliatory bills, and after their pass- 
ing, frequent and animated debates took place in both 
Houses of Parliament, relative to the foreign and domestic 
policy of the country. In the House of Lords, the Duke 
of Richmond took the lead in discussing these subjects, 
and on the 7th of April, he made an impressive speech on 
the state of the nation, in which he maintained, that the 
salvation of the country required the withdrawing of the 
British troops from North America, and even not obscure- 
ly hinted that, for the acquisition of peace, it would be po- 
litic to agree to the independence of the colonies. As his 
grace's sentiments on the latter point were no secret, and 
as it was to be expected that he would propound them on 
this occasion, Lord Chatham, now laboring under the 
weight of seventy years, rendered more heavy by acute 
bodily suffering, regardless of his infirmities, attended in 
his place for the purpose of raising his voice against the 
duke's proposition. ^ My Lords,' exclaimed the venera- 



How did congress receive the proposals of Lord North? 
Who took the lead in the House of Lords? 
What did he maintain in his speech on the 7th of April? 
Wlio was Lord Chatham and what did he say? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 135 

ble orator, 'I rejoice that the grave has not closed upon me, 
and that I am still alive to lift up my voice against the dis- 
memberment of this ancient and most noble monarchy."' 
He then proceeded, in the most energetic terms, to urge his 
auditors to the most vigorous efforts against their new ene- 
my, the House of Bourbon ; and concluded by calling upon 
them, if they must fall, to fall like men. The Duke of 
Richmond having replied to this speech. Lord Chatham 
attempted to rise for the purpose of rebutting his grace's 
arguments, and of proposing his own plan for putting an 
end to the contest with America, which is understood to 
have been the establishment with the colonies, upon the 
most liberal terms, of a kind of federal union under one 
common monarch. But the powers of nature within him 
were exhausted; he fainted under the effort which he 
made to give utterance to his sentiments, and being con- 
veyed to his favorite seat of Haynes, in Kent, he expired 
on the 11th of May, This firmness on the part of con- 
gress augured ill for the success of the British commission- 
ers. Lord Carlisle, Mr. Eden, and Governor Johnstone, who 
arrived at New York on the 9th of June, and without loss 
of time attempted to open a negotiation with the congress. 
Their overtures were officially answered by President 
Laurens in a letter, by which he apprised them that the 
American government were determined to maintain their 
independence; but were willing to treat for peace with his 
Britannic Majesty on condition of his withdrawing his 
fleets and armies from their country. Thus foiled in their 
attempt at public negotiation, the commissioners had re- 

What did lie then urge? 

W^ho answered him? 

What happened to Lord Chatham on his attempt to reply? 

Who composed the British Commissioners? 

How were their overtures answered by President Laurens? 



136 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

course to private intrigue. Governor Johnstone, from hia 
long residence in America, was personally acquainted with 
many of the leading members of congress, to some of 
whom he addressed letters; vaguely intimating the great 
rewards and honors which awaited those who would lend 
their aid in putting an end to the present troubles; and in 
one instance, he privately offered to an individual, for his 
services on this behalf, the sum of £10,000 sterling, and 
any place in the colonies in his Majesty's gift. These clan- 
destine overtures of the governor were uniformly rejected 
with contempt, and the congress having been apprised of 
them, declared them direct attempts at corruption; and re- 
solved that it was incompatible with their honor to hold 
any correspondence or intercourse with him. This reso- 
lution, which was adhered to, notwithstanding the explana- 
tions and denials of Johnstone, and the disavowal of his 
proceedings by his brother commissioners, drew forth 
from these pacificators an angry manifesto, in which they 
virtually threatened the Union with a war of devastation, 
declaring that ' if the British colonies were to become an 
accession to France, the laws of self-preservation would 
direct Great Britain to render the accession of as little avail 
as possible to the enemy.' Whilst congress gave notice 
that the bearers of the copies of this manifesto were not 
entitled to the protection of a flag, they showed how little 
they dreaded the impression which it might make, by giv- 
ing it an extensive circulation in their newspapers. 



W^hat did Gov. Johnstone attempt? 
How were his overtures received? 
WJiat manifesto was issued? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ' 137 

SECTION, XXVII. 

ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH FLEET. 

General Howe spent the spring of the year 1778 nearly 
in a state of inaction, confining his operations to the send- 
ing out of foraging and predatory parties, which did some 
mischief to the country, but little service to the royal 
cause. From this lethargy he was roused by the receipt 
of orders from the British ministry, to evacuate Philadel- 
phia without delay. These orders were sent under the 
apprehension, that if a French fleet should block up his 
squadron in the Delaware, whilst Washington inclosed 
him on the land side, he would share the fate of Burgoyne. 
On the 18th of June, therefore, he quitted the Pennsylva- 
nian capital, and crossed into New Jersey, whither he was 
speedily followed by Washington, who, keepmg a strict 
watch on his movements, had taken measures to harass him 
on his march, which was encumbered with baggage. The 
American commander, on his arrival at Princeton, hearing 
that General Clinton, with a large division of the British 
forces, had quitted the direct road to Staten Island, the 
place of rendezvous appointed for General Howe's army, 
and was marching for Sandy Hook, sent a detachment in 
pursuit of him, and followed with his whole army to sup- 
port it; and as Clinton made preparations to meet the 
meditated attack, he sent forward reinforcements to keep 
the British in check. These reinforcements were com- 
manded by General Lee, whom Washington, on his ad- 
vancing in person, met in full retreat. After a short and 



How did Gen. Howe spend the spring of 1778? 
Why did Howe leave Philadelphia? Where did lie march? 
Why were these orders sent to him, 
By whom was he followed? 

Describe what followed between Clinton and Washington? 
N 



138 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

angry parley, Lee again advanced, and was driven back; 
but Clinton's forces next encountering the main body of 
the American army, were repulsed in their turn, and tak- 
ing advantage of the night, the approach of which in all 
probability, saved them from utter discomfiture, they with- 
drew to Sandy Hook, leaving behind them such of their 
wounded as could not with safety be removed. For his 
conduct on this occasion, Lee was brought to a court-mar- 
tial, and sentenced to be suspended from any command in 
the armies of the United States for the term of one year. 
After this engagement Washington marched to White 
Plains, which are situated a few miles to the north-east- 
ward of New York Island. Here he continued unmolested 
by the neighboring enemy, from the beginning of July, till 
the latter end of autumn, when he retired to take up his 
winter-quarters in huts which he had caused to be con- 
structed at Middlebrook, in Jersey. 

According to the prognostic of the British ministry, the 
Count d'Estaing, with a fleet of twelve ships of the line 
and three frigates, arrived off the mouth of the Delaware 
in the month of July; but found to his mortification, that 
eleven days before that period Lord Howe had withdrawn 
from that river to the harbor of New York. D'Estaing im- 
mediately sailed for Sandy Hook; but after continuing at 
anchor there eleven days, during which time he captured 
about twenty English merchantmen, finding that he could 
not work his line-of-battle ships over the bar, by the advice 
of General Washington he sailed for Newport, with a view 

For what was Gen. Lee suspended? 

Where did Washington march? 

How long did he remain at the White Plains? 

Where did Washington take up winter-quarters? 

What fleet arrived, and wliere? 

What did the Count do at Sandy Hook? 

Where did lie then proceed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 139 

of co-operating with the Americans in driving the British 
from Rhode Island, of which province they had been in 
possession for upwards of a year and a half. This pro- 
ject, however, completely failed. Lord Howe appearing 
with his fleet off Newport, the French admiral came out of 
the harbor to give him battle; but, before the hostile arma- 
ments could encounter, a violent storm arose, which dam- 
aged both fleets so much, that the British were compelled to 
return to New York, whilst D'Estaing withdrew to refit in 
Boston harbor. His retirement subjected the American 
army, which had entered Ehode Island, under General Sul- 
livan, to great peril; but by the skill of its commander, it 
was withdrawn from the province with little loss. To- 
wards the latter end of this year the British arms were 
signally successful in Georgia, the capital of which pro- 
vince was taken by Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, who con- 
ducted himself with such prudence, and manifested so con- 
ciliatory a spirit, that he made no small advances in recon- 
ciling the Georgians to their ancient government. 

The arrival of the French fleet had filled the Americans 
with sanguine expectations that they should now be able to 
put an end to the war by some decisive stroke; and in pro- 
portion to the elevation of their hopes was the bitterness of 
their mortification, that the only result of the co-operation 
of their ally was the recovery of Philadelphia. On the 
other hand, the British ministry were grievously disap- 
pointed on learning that the issue of this campaign, as far 
as regarded their main army, was the exchange by General 
Howe of his narrow quarters in the Pennsylvanian capital 
for the not much more extended ones of New York Island. 
Hitherto they seem to have carried on the war under the 

What prevented a naval engagement? 

Describe the successor the British arms in Georgia. 

In ivJiat were the British ministry disappointed? 



140 AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 

idea that the majority of the inhabitants of the colonies were 
favorably disposed towards the royal government, and 
were only restrained from manifesting their loyalty by a 
faction whom it would be easy with their assistance to sub- 
due, but from this period they appear to have conducted 
their hostilities in a spirit of desperation and revenge. 



SECTION XXVIII. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1779. 

With a view of alarming the insurgent colonies by sub- 
jecting them to the unmitigated horrors of war, Sir Henry 
Clinton, on the 10th of May, 1779, sent an expedition into 
Virginia, under the command of Sir George Collier and 
General Matthews, who, landing at Portsmouth, proceeded 
to Suffolk, which town they reduced to ashes, and after 
burning and capturing upwards of 130 vessels of different 
sizes, and devastating the country in their line of march, 
sailed back loaded with booty to New York. About five 
weeks after their return, Governor Tryon, having receiv- 
ed orders to attack the coast of Connecticut,* landed at East 
Haven, which he devoted to the flames, in violation of his 

•' * Early in the morning of the 5th of July, the fleet, consisting of about 40 
sail, anchored off West Haven; and at sunrise, a detachment of 1000 troops, 
under general Garth, landed at that place. No soldiers were at this time sta- 
tioned at New Haven ; but the militia and citizens made instant preparations 
to harass the enemy, whom they could not hope effectually to resist. Captain 
James Hillhouse with a small band of brave young men, some of whom were 
students at Yale College, advanced very near the royal troops while on parade 
near West Haven church ; and, when they commenced their march, fired on 
the advanced guards, and drove them back to the main body. The enemy. 



What idea hitherto prevailed. 

In 1779, what did Sir Henry Clinton do? 

Describe the occurrences in Virginia, also those in Connecticut. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 141 

promise of protection to all the inhabitants who should re- 
main in their homes. Thence he proceeded to Fairfield 
and Norwalk, which were given up to plunder, and then de- 
stroyed. He effected this mischief with little loss in the 
space often days, at the end of which time he returned to 
the British head-quarters to make a report of his proceed- 
ings, to the commander-in-chief. Whilst this mode of 
warfare was carrying on, Washington could spare very 
few men for the defence of the invaded districts. His at- 

thougli checked in tlieir march, proceeded in force, and entered New Haven 
about one in tlie afternoon, from which time until eight ia the evening the town 
was subjected to almost indiscriminate ravage and plunder. During these 
transactions on the west side of the harbor, Governor Tryon landed about 1000 
troops at East Haven ; and, though severely harassed, effected a junction with 
Garth's division in New Haven. The enemy evacuated the town the next 
morning. The fleet left the harbor the succeeding night, and the morning after 
anchored off Fairfield. The militia of that town and the vicinity, posting 
themselves at the court house green, gave the enemy considerable annoyance, as 
they advanced ; but soon retreated. The royal army plundered and burned 
the town ; and the greatest part of the neighboring village of Green Farms. A 
few days afterwards they laid the town of Norwalk in ashes. 

" At East Haven the British burned several houses; but they burned nothing 
in New Haven, excepting some stores on the Long Wharf. There were burnt 
at Fairfield 85 dwelling houses, 2 churclies, a handsome court house, several 
school houses, 55 barns, 15 stores, and 15 shops; at Green Farms, 15 dwelling 
houses, 1 church, 11 barns, and several stores; at Norwalk, 80 dwelling houses, 
2 churches, 87 barns, 17 shops, 4 mills, and 5 vessels. — The royal comman- 
ders, in addresses to tiie inhabitants of the places which they invaded, invited 
them to return to their allegiance, and promised protection to all who should 
remain peaceably in their usual places of residence. One of tiicse addresses 
was sent by a flag to Colonel Whiting of the militia near Fairfield, who was 
allowed an hour for his answer; but he had scarcely time to read the address 
before the town was in flames. His answer expressed at once the general prin- 
ciples of the colony, and the certain influence of this outrage : " Connecticut, 
having nobly dared to take up arms against tlie cruel despotism of Great Bri- 
tain, and the flames having preceded the answer to your flag, they will persist 
to oppose to the utmost the power exerted against injured innocence." — The 
loss of the British troops in this expedition was 20 killed, 96 wounded, and 32 
snissing." 

n2 



142 AMERICAN KEVOLUTIOX. 

tention was engrossed by the main army o( the British, to 
keep which in check he posted lu's iorces at West Point, 
.-ind on the opposite bank ot'the Hudson, pushing his patrols 
to the vicinity of his adversary's hues. As the British oc- 
cupied with a strong garrison Stoney Point, some miles to 
the south of his position, he, on the loth of July, despatch- 
ed General Wayne with a competent force to dislodge them 
from that important post. This attempt was crowned with 
success. Wayne took the British works by storm, and 
brought otr543 prisoners, fifteen pieces of cannon, and a 
considerable quantity of military stores. Washington did 
not, however, think it prudent for the present to attempt to 
establish himself at Stoney Point, and it was speedily re- 
occupied by the British. Another instance of the enter- 
prising boldness of the Americans soon after occurred in 
the surprise of the British garrison at Powles-Hook, oppo- 
site to New York, which was attacked on the 19th of July, 
by Major Lee, who stormed the works and took 160 prison- 
ers, whom he brought safely to the American lines. The 
joy which the Americans felt at the success of these dar- 
ing enterprises was, however, damped by the tailure of an 
expedition undertaken by the State of Massachusetts to dis- 
possess the British of a fort which they had erected at Pe- 
nobscot in the district of I\Iainc. They here lost the whole 
of their tiotilla, which was destroyed or captured by Sir 
George Collier, whilst their land forces were compelled to 
seek for safety by retreating through the woods. 

Spain having now declared war against Great Britain, 
it was hoped by sanguine politicians, iavorable to the cause 



What was Washington doing during this time? 

What was accomplished by Gen. Wayne? 

What by Major Lee? 

What expedition failed? 

What example did Spain follow? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 143 

of the new republic, that this additional pressure of foreign 
foes would compel the British ministry to withdraw their 
forces from North America. But the energies of the moth- 
er country were roused in proportion to the increase of her 
peril. Her fleets maintained their wonted sovereignty over 
the ocean, and her monarch was determined to strain every 
nerve to reduce his revolted colonies to obedience; and at 
this period the ease with which the reduction of Georgia 
had been etfected, and the advantages which it might afford 
in making an attack upon the rest of the southern States, 
induced his ministers to renew their efforts in that quarter- 
The back settlements, as well as those of the Carolinas, 
abounded with enterprising men of desperate fortunes, as 
also with tories who iiad been compelled, by the persecu- 
tion which they sustainctl from the more ardent republi- 
cans, to withdraw into these wilds irom the more settled 
part of the country. These adventurers and loyalists 
having joined the royal forces under the command of Ma- 
jor-general Prescot, which had also received reinforce- 
ments from Florida, that officer found himself in a condi- 
tion to commence active operations. His preparations filled 
the neiixhborinn; States with alarm. The American reo-ular 
troops had, with few exceptions, been sent from the Caro- 
linas to reinforce the army of General Washington; and 
the only reliance of the republicans in this portion of the 
union rested on the militia, the command of which was 
delegated by congress to General Lincoln. On inspecting 
his forces, Lincoln found them ill equipped and very defi- 
cient in discipline. In these circumstances, the activity of 
the enemy did not allow him any time to train them. Soon 
after his arrival at head-quarters, a division of the royal 

What was the state of atTairs in the southern states? 
What British General commanded there? 
What American? 



144 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

army advanced, under the command of Major Gardiner, to 
take possession of Port Royal, in South Carolina, but was 
driven back with loss by General Moultrie. This repulse 
for a while suspended the enterprise of the British, who 
took post at Augusta and Ebenezer, situated on the Savan- 
nah river, which forms the boundary between Georgia and 
South Carolina. Here they waited in expectation of being 
joined by a body of tories, who had been collected in the 
upper parts of the latter province. But these obnoxious 
allies, giving way to long-smothered resentment, were 
guilty of such atrocities on their march, that the country 
rose upon them, and they fell an easy prej^ to a detachment 
commanded by Colonel Pickens, sent to intercept them at 
Kettle Creek. Five of the prisoners taken on this occa- 
sion, were tried and executed for bearing arms against the 
United States. This proceeding led to acts of retaliation 
on the part of the tories and the king's troops, which for a 
long time gave in the southern States additional horror to 
the miseries of war. Emboldened by his success, Lincoln 
sent an expedition into Grcorgia, with a view of repressing 
the incursions of the enemy, but his forces were surprised 
by General Prevost, from whom they sustained so signal a 
defeat, that, of 1500 men, of which the expedition consisted, 
only 450 returned to his camp. In this emergenc}^, the 
legislative body of South Carolina invested their governor, 
Mr. John Rutledge, and his council, with an almost absolute 
authority, by virtue of which, a considerable force of mili- 
tia was embodied and stationed in the center of the State, to 
act as necessity might require. Putting himself at the 
head of these new levies, Lincoln again determined to carry 



Describe what passed at Port Royal? 
What gave additional horrors to the war? 
Describe the occurrences in Georgia. 
What was done by the legislature of S. C? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 145 

the war into the enemy's quarters; and, crossing the Sa- 
vannah, near Augusta, marched into Georgia, and proceed" 
ed towards the capital of that province. Prevost instantly 
took advantage of this movement to invade South Carolina, 
at the head of 2400 men ; and, driving Moultrie before him, 
pushed forward towards Charleston. At this time, his 
superiority appeared to be so decisive, that Moultrie's 
troops began to desert in great numbers, and many of the 
inhabitants, with real or affected zeal, embraced the royal 
cause. On his appearance before Charleston, the garrison 
of that place, which consisted of 3300 men, sent commis- 
sioners to propose a neutrality on their part during the 
remainder of the war. This proposal he rejected, and 
made preparations to attack the town, which was respecta- 
bly fortified. But, whilst he was wasting tune in negotia- 
tions, Lincoln was hastening from Georgia to the relief of 
the place; and on the near approach of the American army, 
fearing to be exposed to two fires, he withdrew his forces 
across Ashley river, and encamped on some small islands 
bordering on the sea-coast. Here he was attacked by Lin- 
coln, who was, however, repulsed with loss, in consequence 
of the failure of a part of his combinations. Notwithstand- 
ing this success, the British general did not think it advisa- 
ble to maintain his present position, but retreated to Port 
Royal, and thence to Savannah. 

The Americans retired to Sheldon, in the vicinity of 
Beaufort, which is situated at about an equal distance from 
Charleston and Savannah. Here they remained in a state 
of tranquillity till the beginning of September, when they 

Where did Lincoln determine to carry tlic war? 

What did Prevost then do^ 

Describe the movcmcnta at Charleston? 

What movement did Lincoln make? 

What farther took place? 



146 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

were aroused from their inaction by the appearance off the 
coast of the fleet ofD'Estaing, who had proceeded towards 
the close of the preceding year from Boston to the West In- 
dies, whence, after capturing St. Vincent's and Granada, he 
had returned to the assistance of the allies of his sovereign. 
At the sight of this armament, which consisted of 20 sail of 
the line, and 13 frigates, the republicans exulted in the san- 
guine hope of capturing their enemies, or of expelling 
them from their country. The militia mustered with alac- 
rity in considerable force, and marched under the command 
of General Lincoln to the vicinity of Savannah. Before 
their arrival, D''Estaing had summoned the town, and had 
granted to General Prevost a suspension of hostilities for 
twenty-four hours, for the purpose of settling the terms of 
a capitulation. But during that interval, the British com- 
mander received a reinforcement of several hundred men, 
who had forced their way from Beaufort; encouraged by 
which seasonable aid, he determined to hold out to the last 
extremity. The allied forces, therefore, commenced the 
siege of the place in form; but D'Estaing, finding that much 
time would be consumed in regular approaches, and dread- 
ing the hurricanes which i)revail on the southern coast of 
America at that season, resolved on an assault. In con - 
junction with Lincoln, he led his troops to the assault with 
great galantry; but the steadiness of the British won the 
day; and after having received two slight wounds, he was 
driven back with the loss of 637 of his countrymen, and 
200 of the Americans, killed and wounded. At the close of 



What fleet appeared ofl' Charleston in September? 

Where had it been? 

What number of ships did it consist of? 

Describe the attack on Savannah. 

What was the number of the French killed in this battle? 

What of the Americans? 



AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 147 

the engagement, D'Estaing retired to liis ships, and depart- 
ed from the coast, whilst Lincoln crossed the Savannah 
river, and returned with his forces, daily diminishing by 
desertion, to South Carolina. In proportion to the joy of 
the inhabitants of the southern States at the arrival of the 
French fleet, was their mortification at the failure of their 
joint endeavors Jo rid the provinces of an active enemy. — 
The brave were dispirited by defeat, and the sanguine be- 
gan to despair of the fortunes of their country. Those, 
however, who thought more deeply, took comfort from the 
consideration that the enemy had effected little in the course 
of the campaign, excepting the overrunning and plundering 
of an extensive tract of territory, and that they had been 
compelled to terminate their excursions by again concen- 
tratinc themselves in Savannah. 



SECTION XXIX. 

SIEGE AND CAPITULATION OF CHARLESTON, 12tii OF MAY, 
1780. 

The events which had occurred in South Carolina, hav- 
ing pursuaded Sir Henry Clinton that the cause of inde- 
pendence was less firmly supported there than in the north- 
ern States, he determined to make that province the prin- 
cipal theater of the war during the ensuing campaign. — 
Leaving, the re to re, the command of the royal army in 
New York to General Knyphauscn, on the 26th of Decem- 
1779, he sailed from that city with a considerable force. 



How were tlie inlial)it;iiUsof tlie southern States affected by tlieir bad suc- 
From what source did others take comfort? [ccsp. 

Why did Sir Henry Clinton dctcriainc to make Soutli Carolina the princi- 
pal tlieater of the war? 
At what time did he sail from New York? 



148 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

and, after a stormy passage, on the 11th of the ensuing 
month, he arrived at Tybee, in Georgia, at the mouth of 
Savannah river. Hence he proceeded to Ashley river, and 
encamped opposite to Charleston. On his arrival, the as- 
sembly of the State of South Carolina broke up its sitting, 
after having once more delegated a dictatorial authority to 
Governor.Rutledge, who immediately issued his orders for 
the assemblage of the militia. These commands were ill 
obeyed. The disasters of the last campaign had almost 
extinguished the flame of patriotism ; and each man seem- 
ed to look to his neighbors for those exertions which might 
have justly been expected from himself. On reconnoiter- 
ing the works of Charleston, however, Sir Henry Clinton 
did not think it expedient to attack them till he had received 
reinforcements from New York and Savannah, on the arri- 
val of which he opened the siege in form. Charleston is 
situated on a tongue of land, bounded on the west by Ash- 
ley, and on the east by Cooper's rivers. The approach to 
Ashley river was defended by Fort Moultrie, erected on 
Sullivan's Island; and the passage up Cooper's river was 
impeded by a number of vessels, connected by cables and 
chains, and sunk in the channel opposite the town. On 
the land side, the place was defended by a citadel and strong 
lines, extending from one of the above mentioned rivers to 
the other. Before these lines, Clinton broke ground on 
the 29th of March, and on the 10th of April, he had com- 
pleted his first parallel. On the preceding day. Admiral 
Arbuthnot, who commanded the British fleet, had passed 
Fort Moultrie with little loss, and had anchored near the 
town. About the 20th of April, the British commander 

On his arrival what did the assembly of South Carolina do? 
W^here did he encamp? 

How is Charleston situated? How was it defended? 
Describe the proceedings of Clinton. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 149 

received a second reinforcement of 3000 men; and the 
place was soon completely invested by land and sea — his 
third parallel being advanced to the very edge of the Amer- 
ican works. General Lincoln, who commanded in Charles- 
ton,* would not have shut himself up in the town, had he 

* " General Lincoln, trusting to these defences, and expecting large re-enforce- 
ments, remained in Charleston at the earnest request of the inhabitants, and 
with the force under his command, amounting to 7000 men of all denomina- 
tions under arms, resolved to defend the place. On the 21st of March, the 
British marine force, consisting of one ship of 50 guns, two of 40 guns, four of 
32, and the Sandwich armed ship, crossed the bar, and anchored in Five Fath- 
om Hole. Commodore Whipple, finding it impracticable to prevent the enemy 
from passing over the bar, fell back to Fort Moultrie, and afterward to Charles- 
ton. The crews and guns of all the vessels, excepting one, were put on shore 
to re-enforce the batteries. Some of his shijis he stationed in Cooper river; 
and the rest, v/ith some other vessels, were sunk across the mouth of it, to pre- 
vent the British fleet from entering. On the 9th of April, Admiral Arbuthnot 
passed Fort Moultrie without stopping to engage it. Colonel Pinckney, who 
commanded on Sullivan's Island with 300 men, kept up a brisk and well direct- 
ed fire on the ships in their passage; 27 seamen were killed or wounded, and 
the ships in general sustained damage. As the fleet was precluded from an 
entrance into Cooper river, it anchored near the remains of Fort Johnston, just 
without the range of shot from the batteries of the town. The same day on 
which the fleet passed Fort Moultrie, the first parallel of tlie besiegers was fin- 
ished. The town being now almost invested by sea and land, the British com- 
manders summoned General Lincoln to surrender; but the General with modest 
firmness replied: " Sixty days have passed since it has been known that your 
intentions against this town were hostile, in which time has been afforded to 
abandon it: but duty and inclination point to the propriety of supporting it to 
tlic last extremity." The batteries of the first parallel were now opened upon 
the town, and soon made a visible impression; but the communication between 
the country and the garrison was still kept open across Cooper river, through 
which General Lincoln expected to receive hisre-enforccments, and, if it should 
become necessary, to make good his retreat. To prevent the reception of those 
re-enforcements, and to cut oflTthat retreat. Sir Henry Clinton detached Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Webster with 1400 men. By the advanced guard of this detach- 
ment, composed of Tarleton's legion and Ferguson's corps, the American cav- 
alry, with the militia attached to them, were surprised in the night of the 14th 
of April, at Biggin's bridge, near Monk's Corner, 32 miles from Charleston, and 
completely routed and dispersed. The British now extended themselves to the 
eastward of Cooper river; and about this time Sir Henry Clinton received a re- 

o 



160 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

not confidently expected relief from the militia, who had 
been called out by Governor Rutledge, and by whose 
assistance he imagined that he could, if reduced to extrem- 
ity, have effected a retreat, by crossing Cooper's river. — 

enforcement of 3000 men from New York. The garrison having no reasona- 
ble hope of effecting a retreat, by advice of a council of war, called on the 21st 
of April, an offer was made for surrendering the town on certain conditions; 
but tliose conditions were instantly rejected by the British commanders. The 
besiegers in the mean time were daily advancing their works, and their tliird 
parallel was completed on the 6th of May. On the same day, the garrison of 
Fort Moultrie surrended to Captain Hudson of the royal navy; Colonel Pinck- 
ney with 150 of the men under his command having been withdrawn from that 
post to Charleston. On the same day also, the broken remains of the Ameri- 
can cavalry under Colonel White were again surprised by Lieutenant Colonel 
Tarleton on the banks of the Santee; and the whole either killed, taken or dis- 
persed. Sir Henry Clinton, while thus successful in every operation, began a 
correspondence with General Lincoln, and renewed his former offers to the 
garrison, in case of their surrender; but the terms, so far as they respected the 
citizens, being not satisfactory, the garrison recommended hostilities. The Brit- 
ish batteries of the third parallel now opened on the town, and did great execu- 
tion. Shells and carcasses were thrown into almost all parts of the town; and 
several houses were burned. The Hessian yagers, posted advantageously, fired 
their rifles with such effect, that numbers of the besieged were killed at their 
guns; and scarcely any escaped, who showed themselves over the lines. Du- 
ring this fire, which continued two days without intermission, the besiegers 
gained the counterscarp of the work that flanked the canal; passed the canal 
itself; and, advancing within 25 yards of the American works, prepared to 
make a general assault by land and water. The siege having been protracted 
until the 11th, a great number of citizens of Charleston on tliat day addressed 
General Lincoln in a petition; reciuesting his acceptance of the terms which had 
been offered. The general wrote to Sir Henry Clinton, offering to accept those 
terms, and received a favorable answer. A capitulation was signed on the 12th 
of May; and the next day Major General Leslie took possession of the town. — 
The loss of the king's troops, during the siege, was 76 killed, and 140 wounded. 
The loss of the Americans was 89 killed, and 140 wounded. Upwards of 400 
pieces of artillery were surrendered. By the articles of capitulation the garrison 
were to march out of town and to deposit their arms in front of the works: but 
the drums were not to beat a British march, nor the colors to be uncased. The 
continental troops and seamen were to keep their baggage, and remain prisoners 



Why did Lincoln shut himself up in Charleston? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 151 

But the few, who, in this hour of difficulty, advanced to 
his aid, were cut off or kept in check; and the river was 
possessed by the enemy. In these distressful circumstan- 
ces, after sustaining a bombardment which set the town on 
fire in different places, on the 12th of May, he surrendered 
on a capitulation, tlie principal terms of which were, that 
' the militia were to be permitted to return to their respect- 
ive homes, as prisoners on parole, and while they adhered 
to their parole, were not to be molested in person or prop- 
erty.' The same conditions were also imposed on all the 
inhabitants' of the town, civil as well as military. 

Sir Henry Clinton now addressed himself to the impor- 
tant work of re-establishing the royal authority in the 
province; as a preliminary step to which, on the 1st of 
June, he issued a proclamation, offering to the inhabitants 
at large, on condition of their submission, pardon fcr thcir 
past offences, a re-instatement in their rights, and, what 
was of the most weighty importance, exemption from tax- 
ation, except from their own legislature. This proclama- 
tion was followed up by the posting of garrisons in differ- 
ent parts of the country, to protect the loyal and to awe 
the disaffected, and by the march of 2000 men towards 

of war until exchanged. TJie militia were to be permitted to return home as 
prisoners on parole; and, while they should adhere to their parole, were not to 
be molested by the British troops, in person or property. The inhabitants of 
all conditions were to be considered as prisoners on parole, and to hold their 
property on the same terms with the militia. The officers of the army and navy 
were to retain their servants, swords, pistols, and baggage unsearched. The 
number of persons who surrendered prisoners of war, inclusive of the militia 
and every adult male inhabitant, was above 5000; but the proper garrison did 
not exceed 2500. The number of privates in tlie continental army was 1977, 
of wliom 500 were in the hospitals." 



On what conditions was the town, 8;c. surrendered? 

What was done on the 1st of June? 

With what was this proclamation followed up? 



152 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

North Carolina, on whose advance the American forces, 
who had tardily marched from that province to the relief 
of Charleston, retreated with loss. Thus crowned with 
success, Clinton, early in June, embarked, with the princi- 
pal part of his forces, for New York, having delegated the 
completion of the subjugation of South Carolina to Lord 
Cornwallis, to whom he apportioned, for that purpose, an 
army of 4000 men. 



SECTION XXX. 

DEFEAT OF GATES'S ARMY, BY LORD CORNWALLIS, 15th OF 
AUGUST, 1780. 

When Lord Cornwallis took the command in South Car- 
olina, the insurgents had no army in the field within 400 
miles of that province, and the great body of the inhabit- 
ants had submitted either as prisoners or as subjects; and 
had they been suffered to remain in this state of quiet neu- 
trality, they would have been happy to abide in peace the 
issue of the contest in the northern States. But his Lord- 
ship's instructions did not permit him to be contented with 
this passive obedience, and he proceeded to take measures to 
compel the South Carolinians to take up arms against their 
countrymen. With this view, he issued a proclamation, 
absolving from their parole all the inhabitants who had 
bound themselves by that obligation, and restoring them 
'to all the rights and duties belonging to citizens.' What 



Where did Clinton go in June? 

Under whose command did he leave the remaining forces? 

At this time what was the situation of the American army in the soutiiern 

States? 
What did Lord Cornwallis proceed to compel the South Carolinians to do? 
With this view what did he do? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 1 53 

was meant by the ominous word 'duties' was explained by 
another part of the proclamation, whereby it was declared, 
' that it was proper for all persons to take an active part in 
settling and securing his majesty's government,' and that 
'whoever should neglect so to do should be treated as reb- 
els.' The Carolinians were indignant at this violation of 
the terms of their submission. Many of them resumed their 
arms; and though more, under the impression of fear, en- 
rolled themselves as subjects, they brought to the royal 
cause a hollow allegiance, which could not bo trusted in the 
day of trial. A considerable number quitted the province, 
and hastened to join the army which congress was raising 
for the purpose of wresting it out of the hands of the en- 
emy. 

In organizing this force, congress had to struggle with 
the greatest difficulties. Their treasury was exhausted, 
and they were at this time occupied in making an equitable 
adjustment as to their paper money, on the strength of 
which they had undertaken the war, and which was now 
depreciated to the amount, of forty for one — that is, one sil- 
ver dollar was worth forty American paper dollars. Whilst 
their currency was in this state they were perpetually em- 
barrassed in their purchases of arms, clothing, and stores; 
and when they had raised the men for the southern army, 
some time elapsed before they could procure the necessary 
funds to put them in motion. These difficulties being at 
length overcome, the Maryland and Delaware troops were 
sent forward, and began their march in high spirits on 
learning that the expedition, of which they formed a part, 
was to be commanded by General Gates. The hero of 

What was meant by the word " duties^^? 
What effect had this proceeding on the Carolinians? 
What were the difficulties with which congress had to struggle? 
What troops were sent forward? Under whose command? 
o 2 



154 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

Saratoga, on joining the army in North Carolina, was ad- 
vised to proceed to the southward by a circuitous rout, 
where he would find plenty of provisions; but^ conceiving 
it to be his duty to hasten with all speed to the scene of 
action, he preferred the straight forward road to Camden, 
which led through a desert pine barren. In traversing this 
dreary tract of country, his forces were worn out with fa- 
tigue and extenuated with hunoer. The few cattle which 
his commissariat had provided having been consumed, his 
only resource for meat was the lean beasts which were 
accidentally picked up in the woods. Meal and grain were 
also very scarce ; and as substitutes for bread, the soldiers 
were obliged to have recourse to the green corn and to the 
fruits which they met with on their line of march. The 
consequence of this unwonted diet was, that the army was 
thinned by dysentery and other diseases usually caused by 
the heat of the weather and by unwholesome food. The 
soldiers at first bore these hardships with impatience, and 
symptoms of dissatisfaction and even of mutiny began to 
appear amongst them. But by the conciliatory exertions 
of the oilicers, who shared in all the privations of the com- 
mon men, the spirit of murmuring was repressed, and the 
troops pursued their weary way with patience and even 
with cheerfulness. On their arrival at a place called Deep 
Creek, their distresses were alleviated by a supply of good 
beef accompanied by the distribution of half a }KHmd of In- 
dian corn meal to each man. Invigorated by this welcome 
refreshment, they proceeded to the cross-roads, where they 
were joined by a respectable body of militia under the com- 
mand of General Caswell. Though Gates was aware that 

What lianlship;! liail they to encounter? 
How was the spirit of mutiny suppressed! 
now were they relieved at Deep creek? 
By whom were they joined at Cross-roads? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 1 55 

another body of militia were hastening to his assistance 
from the State of Virginia, he was prevented from waiting 
for their arrival by want of provisions, and, after staying 
for one day only at the cross-roads, fincHng that tlie enemy 
intended to dispute his passage by Linch's creek, he march- 
ed to the right towards Clermont, where the British had 
established a defensible post. On his approach to the 
latter place, however. Lord Rawdon, who commanded the 
advance of the British, concentrated all his forces at Cam- 
den, whilst Gates inustered the whole of his army at Cler- 
mont, which is distant from Camden about thirteen miles. 
These events occurred on the .13th of August, and on 
the next day the American troops were reinforced by a bo- 
dy of 700 of the Virginia militia. At tlie same time Gates 
received an express from Colonel Sumpter, who reported 
to him that he had been joined by a rmmber of the South 
Carolina militia, at his encampment on the west side of the 
Wateree, and that an escort of clothing, armnunition, and 
other stores, was on its way from Charleston to Camden^ 
and must, of necessity, on its way to its destination, cross 
the Wateree at a ferry about a mile from that place. On 
receiving this intelligence. Gates sent forward a detach- 
ment of the Maryland line, consisti/ig of 100 regular infan- 
try and a company of artillery, with two brass lleld-[)ieces, 
and 300 North Carolina militia, all under the command ol 
Lieutenant-Colonel Woodford, who was instruel(;d to join 
General Sunipter, and assist him in intercepting the con- 
voy. At the same time General Gates made preparations 
for advancing still nearer Camden, in the expectation that 

Wliy did not Gates wait for the Virginia militia? 
Wliat cvorita orxurred on l;3lli of August? 
What information did dates receive by cxprcsa? 
What tlien did he do? 
What preparations did he then make? 



166 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

it' Lord Rawdon did not abandon tluvt jiost as he had done 
that of Clermont, his sn})j)lies would ho cut oil' by the bo- 
dies of militia which were expected to \)ouy forth from the 
upper counties, and he would thus be compelled to a sur- 
render. On reaching; the iVontier oi' South Carolina, Gates 
had issued a proclamation, inviting the inhabitants to join 
his standard, and olleringan amnesty to such of them as, 
under the pressure of circumstances, had promised allegi- 
ance to the liritish (Jovernment. Though this proclama- 
tion had not been without elfect, it had not called forth tlie 
numbers upon which the American General liad been led 
to calculate; and, after the departure of Lieutenant-(\>lo- 
nel Woodford's detachment, the abstract of the field-returns 
submitted to him by his deputy Adjiitant-G(Micral indicated 
no more thtm between 4000 or 5000 men as constituting 
his disposable force. Gates, disappointed as he was by the 
scantiness of these returns, determined to j)ersevero in his 
plan of oflensive operations, and marched about ten at night 
on the 15th of August to within half a mile of Sander's 
Creek, about halfway between his encampment and Cam- 
den. Lord Cornwall is, who the day before had repaired 
to his, head-quarters at Camden, and had taken the com- 
mand of the l>ritish army, was also resolved, though his 
forces amounted only to IJOOO men, of whom 1700 were in- 
tantry and oOO cavalry, to attack the enemy in their camp, 
and advancing for that purpose, at half-past two in the 
morning, encountered their advanced parties near Sander's 
Creek. Here some tiring took i)lace with various success ; 
but on the whole the British had the advantage in this night 



What did Gen. Gates issue? 

What were its otlocts? 

What was Gates' whole force at this time? 

What Uiat of Cornwallis? 

What produced an encounter? 



AMEBIOAN RKVOLUTION. ^^"^ 

rencounter. I'iarly tl.c ensuing n.orning both armies pre- 
pared for battle. On the side of the Americans, the second 
Maryland brigade, under the connnand of General Oist, 
occupied the right, which was Hanked by a morass; the 
Virginia militia and the North Carolina infantry, also co- 
vered by some boggy ground, were posted on the left, 
whilst General Caswell, with the North Carolmadms.on 
and the artillery, appeared in the ...mter. A corps dere- 
«.rr., under the.n-ders of (General Smallwood, was posted 
about three lanul red yards in the rear of the Amer.can 

'"Tn arranging the Hritish forces Lord Cornwallis dele- 
gated the command of the right to Lieutenant-Colone 
Webster, who had at his disposal the 23d and the 33d 
regiments of foot. The left was guarded by some Irish 
volunteers, the mfantry of the legion, an.l partol Lieuten- 
ant-t;olonel llau.ilton's North Carolina regiment, under 
the command of Lord Rawdon. The cavalry of the leg.on 
was stationed in the rear, where also the 71st regmient 
was stationed as a reserve. The respective arm.cs bomg 
thus disposed, the action began by the advance of 200 ol 
the Hritish in front of the A.nerican artillery, winch re- 
eeived them with a steady fire. Gates then conunanded 
,he Virginia nfditia to advance under the counnand ol Co- 
lonel Su.vens, who cheerfully obeye.l the orders of h,s 
eommauder-iu-ehicf, and, when he had led his n,en w.tinn 
nring distance, urged them to charge the enen.y w, h hc= r 
bayonets. This portion of the An,eriean arn,y did no 
however, emulate the gallantry of their h.>der. Lo d 
Cornwallis, observing their .novement, gave orders to L,..u- 
tenant-Colonel Webster to attack^ The lird.sh .n- 

How wuH the A.iicriran army arranged for huUlc? 
How the IJritiHli? 
Describe the buttle? 



158 - AMERICAN REVOLrilON. 

lantry obeyed his lordship's commands with a loud cheer. 
The American militia, intimidated by this indication of de- 
termined daring, were panic-struck, and the Virginians and 
the Carolinians threw down their arms and hastened from 
the field. The right wing and the corps de reserve, how- 
ever, maintained their position, and even gained ground 
upon the' enemy; but Lord Cornwallis, taking advantage 
of a favorable moment, charged them with his cavalry, and 
put them completely to the rout. The victors captured 
the w^iole of the baggage and artillery of the Americans, 
who were pursued by the British cavalry for the space of 
twenty miles ; and so complete was their discomfiture, that 
on the second day after the engagement Gates could only 
muster 150 of his fugitive soldiers at Charleston, a town in 
the south of North Carolina, from whence he retreated .still 
farther north to Salisbury, and thence to Hillsborough. 
The sickliness of the season prevented Lord Cornwallis 
from pursuing the broken remains of the enemy's army; 
but he employed the leisure now afforded him in inflicting 
vengeance on such of the inhabitants of South Carolina as 
had been induced, by the presence of Gates's army, to de- 
clare in his favor. The militiamen who had joined the re- 
publican standard, and had fallen into his hands as prison- 
ers, he doomed to the gallows. The property of the fugi- 
tives, and of the declared friends of independence, he con- 
fiscated. These acts, though severe, were perhaps justifia- 
ble by the strictness of the law. But neither in law nor in 
honor could his lordship justify the seizure of a number of 
the principal citizens of Charleston, and most of the milita- 
ry officers residing there under the faith of the late capitu- 
lation, and sending them to St. Augustin. 

Reduced to desperation by these injudicious severities, 

How was Cornwallis afterwards emplo3'ed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 159 

the bold and active among the disafiected formed them- 
selves into independent bands, under different chieftains, 
amongst whom Marion and Sumpter were distinguished by 
their spirit of enterprise. These harassed the scattered 
parties of tlie British, several of which they cut off; and 
and by their movements the loyalists to the north of the 
Carolinas were kept in check. Eight of these chieftains 
having under their forces, attacked Major Ferguson, who 
had been sent to the confines of the two provinces to as- 
semble the friends of the British government, and killed or 
wounded 250 of his new levies, and took 800 prisoners, 
Ferguson himself being amongst the slain. This success 
was followed by important results: Lord Corn wallis had 
marched into North Carolina, in the direction of Salisbu- 
ry ; but when he heard of the defeat and death of Fergu- 
son, he retreated to Winnsborough in the southern pro- 
vince, being severely harassed in his retrograde move- 
ment by the militia and the inhabitants; and when he re- 
tired into winter-quarters Sumpter still kept the field. 

In the mean time General Gates had collected another 
army, with which he advanced to Charlotte. Here he re- 
ceived intelligence that Congress had resolved to supersede 
him and to submit his conduct to a court of inquiry. Mor- 
tified as he was by the ingratitude of his country, on the 
notification of this resolve of the supreme power he duti- 
fully resigned his command. But on his way home from 
Carolina, his feelings were soothed by an address from the 
legislature of Virginia assuring him that ^ the remembrance 



In consequoncc of these proceedings what did the more boUl and active do? 

How did these bands employ tlicmsclves? 

What did ciglit of tlicsc cliicftians? 

What other results followed? 

In the mean time what did Gen. Gates do? 

What intelligence afterwards arrived? 

How were his feelings soothed? 



160 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

of his former glorious services could not be obliterated by 
any reverse of fortune.' 



SECTION XXXI. 

ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH AUXILIARIES UNDER ROCHAM- 
BEAU, 10th of JULY, 1780. 

Whilst these events were occurring in the southern 
States, General Washington was obliged to confine him- 
self to the irksome and inglorious task of watching, from 
his encampment at Morristown, the motions of the British 
on New York Island, and of restraining their incursions 
into the adjacent country. Though the army opposed to 
him was lessened by the detachment which Sir Henry 
Clinton led into South Carolina, his own forces were pro- 
portionably weakened by the reinforcements which it was 
necessary for him to send to the American army in the 
same quarter; and never did distress press more heavily 
upon him. The depreciation of the currency was at that 
time so great, that four months' pay of a private would not 
purchase a single bushel of wheat. His camp was some- 
times destitute of meat, and sometimes of bread. As each 
State provided for its own quota of troops, no uniformity 
could be established in the distribution of provisions. This 
circumstance aggravated the general discontent, and a 
spirit of mutiny began to display itself in two of the Con- 
necticut regiments, which were with difficulty restrained 
from forcing their way home at the point of the bayonet- 
Of these discontents the enemy endeavored to take advan- 

While these events were occurring, what was Gen. W^ashington obliged 

to do? 
What were some of Washington's distresses? 
Why did the spirit of mutiny appear in Washington's armyl 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 161 

iage, by circulating in the American camp proclamations 
offering the most tempting gratifications to suchofthecon- 
tinental troops as should desert the republican colors and 
embrace the royal cause. But these offers were unavail- 
ing ; mutinous as they were, the malcontents abhorred the 
thought of joining the enemies of their country; and on the 
seasonable arrival of a fresh supply of provisions, they 
cheerfully returned to their duty. Soon after this, when 
General Knyphauscn, who commanded the British forces 
in the absence of Sir Henry Clinton, made an irruption into 
Jersey, on the 16th of June, the whole American army 
marched out to oppose him; and though he was reinforced 
by Sir Henry Clinton, who during this expedition had ar- 
rived from Charleston, he was compelled to measure back 
his steps. Both the advance and retreat of the German 
were marked by the devastation committed by his troops, 
who burnt the town of Springfield, and most of the houses 
on their line of march. 

Alarmed by the representations made b}'' General Wash- 
ington, of the destitute condition of his army, congress sent 
three members of their body with instructions to inquire 
into the condition of their forces, and with authority'to re- 
form abuses. These gentlemen fully verified the state- 
ments of the commander-in-chief. No sooner was this fact 
known in the city of Philadelphia, than a subscription was 
set on foot for the relief of the suffering soldiers, which 
soon amounted to 300,000 dollars. This sum was intrust- 
ed to the discretion of a well chosen committee, who ap- 

How (lid tlie enemy endeavor to take advantage of tlicse discontents? 
How was order restored? 
W^lrnt town was burnt? By whom? 
Wliat occurred soon after this? 
What did Con;'rcs3 do? 

Whence did the army receive $300,000? ' ' 

P 



162 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

propriated it to the purchase ot' provisions for the troops. 
The three commissioners also applied themselves diligently 
to the task of recruiting and re-organizing the army. 
They prescribed to each State the quota of torces which it 
was to contribute towards the raising oi' 35,000 men, their 
deficiency in reguhars being to be supplied by drafts from 
their respective militia. The States of New England, 
^Pennsylvania and Virginia, promptly listened to the call 
of their country, and made extraordinary elforts to fur- 
nish their several quotas of recruits. The other members 
of the Union exerted themselves to the best of their abili- 
ty; and though the general result of these exertions did 
not produce the number of troops which was deemed re- 
quisite for the public service, more could not. in such cir- 
cumstances, have been well expected. 

The congress were the more earnest in their wishes to 
put their army on a respectable looting, as they were in 
expectation of the arrival of a body of auxiliary ibrces 
from France. This welcome aid appeared otf Khode Isl- 
and on the 10th of .luly, 1780, on which day. Monsieur 
Ternay sailed into the harbor of Newport with a squadron 
of seven sail of the line, live irigates, and five schooners, 
convoying a fleet of transports, having on board tU^OOmen, 
under the command of the Count de Eochambeau. Admi- 
ral Arbuthnot, who had under his command, at New York, 
only four sail of the line, on hearing o( the arrival oi' the 
French at Rhode Island, was apprehensive of being attack- 
ed by their superior force. But he was soon relieved from 



What cxortiona werci made? 

What ilid thoy iiroscribe to each state? 

What States listened promptly to the call? 

What was the general result? 

Of what did the aid from France consist? 

What Port did the squadron enter? 



AMEllICAN REVOLUTION. 163 

his fears by the vigilaiiee of tlic British ministry, who, on 
the sailing of the French fleet from Europe, had sent to 
his assistance Admiral (1 raves, with six ships of the line. 
On receiving this reinforcement, he sailed for Ivhode Isl- 
and, for the purpose oi' encountering the French squadron, 
whilst Sir Henry C'linton proceeded with 8000 men to the 
north of Long Island, for the purpose of landing on the op- 
posite part of the continent, and attacking their land forces. 
But the British Admiral found the enemy's ships so well se- 
cured by batteries and other land fortilications, thathe was 
obliged to content himself with blocking them up in their 
harbor; and Clinton, receiving intelligence that General 
Washington was i)rei)aring to take advantage of his ab- 
sence by making an attack upon New York, hastened back 
to the relief of that place. 



SECTION XXXII. 

TREASON 01'^ ARNOLD, AND DEATU OE ANDRE. 

Washington, on tlu^ retreat of General Clinton, withdrew 
to West Point, an almost impregnable position, situated 
about fifty miles to the northward of New York, on the 
Hudson river, by means of which he kept up a communi- 
cation between the eastern and southern States; and hav- 
ing occasion, towards the end of the month of September, 
to go to Rhode Island to hold a conference with the French 
Admiral and Count Rochambeau, he left the command of 
this important post to General Arnold, unconscious that in 

Wliat Hrilisli forces eoon nl'tor arrived? 
Wluit service did llie British fleet perforin? 
Wliy did Oeii. Clinton rctiira to New York? 
Wliere did Washington witiidraw to? 
Wliero, and what is West Point? 
To whom did he intrust its command? 



164 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

SO doing, he intrusted the fortunes of the infant republic to 
a traitor. Arnold was brave and hardy, but dissipated and 
profligate. Extravagant in iiis expenses, he had involved 
himself in debts, and having had, on frequent occasions, the 
admhiistration of considerable sums of public money, his 
accounts were so unsatisfactory, that he was liable to an 
impeachment on charges of peculation. Much had been 
forgiven indeed, and more would probably have been for- 
given to his valor and military skill. But alarmed by the 
terrors of a guilty conscience, he determined to get rid of 
pecuniary responsibility, by betraying his country; and 
accordingly entered into a negotiation with Sir Henry 
Clinton, in whicli he engaged, when a proper opportunity 
should present itself, to make such a disposition of his 
troops a 4 would enable the British to make themselves mas- 
ters of West Point. The details of this negotiation were 
conducted by Major Andre, the Adjutanl-CJeneral of the 
British army, will) whom Arnold carried on a clandestine 
correspondence, addressing him under the name of Ander- 
son, whilst he himself assumed that of Gustavus. To fa- 
cilitate their communications, the Vulture sloop of war 
was moved near to West Point, and the absence of Wash- 
ington seemed to present a fit opportunity for the final ar- 
rangement of their plans, on the night of the 21st of Sep- 
tember, Arnold sent a boat to the Vulture to bring Andre 
on shore. That olRcer landed in his uniform between the 
posts of the two armies, and was met by Arnold, with whom 



What was his character? 

WImt liig pecuniary situation? 

What (lid lie tlotcrniinc on? 

To whom did Clinton entrust tlic details of the negotiation? 

Under what name did they carry on tiie corresponilencc? 

Wliat circumstances facilitated their plans? 

When were lliosc plans finally arranged? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 166 

he held a conference which lasted till day-break, when it 
was too late for him to return to the vessel. In this ex- 
tremity, unforfynately for himself, he allowed Arnold to 
conduct him within one of the American posts, where he 
lay concealed till the next night. In the meantime, the 
Vulture, having been incommoded by an American battery, 
had moved lower down the river, and the boatmen now re- 
fused to convey the stranger on board her. Being cut off 
from this way of escape, Andre was advised to make for 
New York by land; and, for this purpose, he was furnish- 
ed with a disguise, and a passport signed by Arnold, de- 
signating him as John Anderson. He had advanced in 
safety near the British lines, when he was stopped by three 
New York militia-men. Instead of showing his pass to 
these scouts, he asked them ' where they belonged to?' and, 
on their answering' to below,' meaning to New York, with 
singular want of judgment, he stated that he was a British 
officer, and begged them to let him proceed without delay. 
The men, now throwing off the mask, seized him; and, 
notwithstanding his offers of a considerable bribe if they 
would release him, they proceeded to search him, and 
found upon his person, papers which gave fatal evidence 
of his own culpability and of Arnold's treachery. These 
papers were in Arnold's hand-writing, and contained exact 
and detailed returns of the state of the forces, ordnance, 
and defences of West Point and its dependencies, with the 
artillery orders, critical remarks on the works, an estimate 
of the number of men that were ordinarily on duty to man 
them, and the copy of a state of matters that had, on the 
sixth of the month, been laid before a council of war by 



Why (lid not Andre return to the Vulture? 

On his return to N. Y. by land, how was lie disguised? 

Descrilic the circumstances of his seizure? 

What did the papers found on Uiin contiiiu? 



166 AM^ICAN REVOLITTIOIf. 

the conininniier-in-chiof. When Andre was conducted by 
his captors to tlie quarters ot'the eonuuander ot' the seo\it- 
ing parties, still assuniing the name ot' Anderson, he re- 
quested ]>erniission to write to Arnold, to inlornihini of his 
detention. This request was ineonsiderately granted; and 
the traitor, being thus apjn'ised ot' his peril, instantly made 
his escape. At this moment, ^^'ashington arriving at West 
Point, was maile acquainted with the whole atUiir. Having 
taken the necessary precautions tor the security o( his 
])Ost, lie reterred the case ot* the prisoner to a court-mar- 
tial, consisting oi^ fourteen general olVicers. IVtore this 
tribunal, Andre appeared with steady composure ot' mind 
lie V(^luntarily conlessed all the tacts ot' his case. Being 
interrogated by the board with respect to his conception ot' 
his coming on shore imdcr the saui'tion ot' a (lag, he ingenu- 
ously replied, that * if he hail landcil under that protection, 
he might have returned under it.* The court, having ta- 
ken all the circumstances oi" his case into consideration, 
mianimously concurred in opinion, 'that lie ought to Ik^ 
consiilered as a spy; ami that, agreeably to the laws and 
usages of nations, he ought to sulVer ileath." Sir Henry 
Clinton, tirst by amicable negotiation, and ai'terwanls by 
threats, cndeavorcil to imluce the American counnandcr to 
spare the life of his t'riend: but A\'asliiugton did not think 
this act of mercy compatible with his duty to his country, 
and Andre was ordered for execution. He liad petitioned 
to be allowtnl to d\c a soldier's death; but this request 
couUl not be granted. Oi this circumstance, however, he 
was kept in ignorance, till he saw the preparations for liis 



How was ArnoUl apprised of his peril? 

To whom dill Wasliiniiton rotor tho enso? 

How tliii Atidro bohnvc duriiij; the trial? 

What was the derision of the oourt? 

\Vh:vt attempts did Sir Honry Clinton nniko to have the life of .Andre spartnl ' 



AMF.RIOAN KF.VOLTTTION. 167 

final catastrophe, whou I'liuling that the bitterness of his 
destiny was ncU to he alleviated as he wished, he exelaim- 
eJ, ' it is hut a nionuMitary pani:;!*' and eahnly suhnutted to 
his late. 

Soon after this sad oeeurriMiee, AVashin^ton, in writing 
to a tViiMni, e\'|>ress(Hl himself in the iolK^wiuL!; terms: — 
- Andre has met his iati\ and with that tortituile whii-h was 
to In^ expeeteil iVom an aeeomplished gentleman aiul a gal- 
Innt i^theer; hut I am mistaktMi if Arnolil is not undergoing, 
at this time, the torments of aniental hell/"^ ^Vhatever 
might he the feelings of the traitor, his inwson luul its re 
ward, lie was inuneiliately appointoil l>rigadier-CuMieral 
in the sorviee of tlu^ King oi' (Ireat Britain; and, on his 
promotitui, he l\ad the toliv and presumption to publish an 
address, in whicii \\c avowtnl, that, being dissatislleil with 
the alliance between the Uniteil States and France, 'he had 
retained his arms and connnand for an opportunity to sur- 
render tluMu to (u'eat iMMiain."" This aiKlress was exceed- 
ed in meanness ami insolence by another, in which he in- 
viteil his late companions in arms to follow his example. 
The American solditM-s read thesi.^ miiuilestos with scorn; 
and so odious iliil the character of a traitor, as excmplilled 

* '• Anioltl vtM-tMvoii, as tlu> lowani of his iroacliory, tlio sum ot" 10,000 
poiinijs, niitl tlio rank of Itriijndior i^onoral in tlio l?ritish army. Hul lie \va« 
dosrrtoil by his now nssociatcs, nml liis name will he forovor synonymous with 
Infamy and hasonoss. In contrast with his, how hriijht shines tho fame of the 
tliroc captors of .\nilro." ************ * » 

" Conirross rosolvoil, that each of the tiirec captors of Andre. John Tauhlint:. 
Daviil Williams, and Isaac Van Vert, should receive annually $;200 in specie 
durins? life ; and that the hoard of war ho directed to procure for each of theni 
a silver medal, emhleniatic of their lidelity and patriotism, to he presented !•? 
U»o commanderinchief, with the thanks of comiress." 



What petition did .\ndre himself make? 

How did he meet his fate? 

How did Washington express liiuisclf toa friend after the death of Andro' 

Ilow was Arnold rewarded? 



168 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

in the conduct of Arnold, become in their estimation, that 
* desertion totally ceased amongst them at this remarkable 
period of the war.'* 

Circumstances, however, took place soon after the dis- 
covery of Arnold's treachery, which led that renegade to 
entertain delusive hopes that the army of Washington 
would disband itself. The Pennsylvanian troops now serv- 
ing on the Hudson, had been enlisted on the ambiguous 
terms of 'serving three years, or during the continuance 
of the war.' As the three years from the date of their 
enrollment were expired, they claimed their discharge, 
which was refused by their officers, who maintained that 
the option of the two above-mentioned conditions rested 
with the State. Wearied out with privations, and indig- 
nant at what they deemed an attempt to impose upon them, 
the soldiers flew to arms, deposed their officers, and under 
the guidance of others whom they elected in their place, 
they quitted Morristown and marched to Princeton. Here 
they were solicited by the most tempting offers on the part 
of some emissaries sent to them by Sir Henry Clinton, to 
put themselves under the protection of the British govern- 
ment. But they were so far from listening to these over- 
tures, that they arrested Sir Henry's agents, and, their 
grievances having been redressed by the interposition of a 
committee of congress, they returned to their duty, and 
the British spies, having been tried by a board of officers, 
were condemned to death and executed.! 

* Ramsay, 
t "The soldiers of the Pennsylvania line were stationed at Morristown, in 
New Jersey. They complained that, in addition to sustaining sufferings corn- 
Why did desertion totally cease at this period? 
What circumstances took place soon after? 
Describe the particulars. 

How did these soldiers receive the offers of Sir Henry Clinton? 
Who were condemned to death and executed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 169 

A similar revolt of a small body of the Jersey line was 
quelled by the capital punishment of two of the ring-lead- 
ers of the mutineers. The distresses which were the chief 
cause of this misconduct of the American soldiery, were 
principal!}^ occasioned by the depreciation of the conti- 
nental currenc}^: which evil, at this period, effected its 
own cure, as the depreciated paper was by common con- 
sent, and without auy act of the legislature, put out of use; 
and by a seasouctble loan fi-oiu France, and by the revival 
of trade with the French and Spanish West Indies, its 
place was speedily supplied with huiu iiio-ie^^ 

nion to all, t'<oy wco retiUiiod ij' f-^rvice to >n\\y (o iJfO tcn.i; of tl'.eir enlist- 
meats. In llic iii^lif oPiJe fiffjt of Janiui'-y. iLirlcc.; iTuidrct", on a concerted 
signal, "i^iadod hdiIci" ari)i~. and <'c' lar^^d tlieJr irdeniion o<" marclinij; io Phila- 
delphia, aid dcujai'.4'''g of congress a redress oftlicir grievames. Tl:e officers 
strove to compel Dcm to relinqnis!' tljoir puipose. In the attCinpt, one was 
killed and seveial were wounded. General Waype pvc|ented liis pi.-tols as if 
intending lo Ire. T'ley (leld U-cir ba3'OHCt5 lo hie- brca;v; " We love and res- 
pect you," «aid Iney, " but if you fire you are a dead man. We are not going 
to the enemy. On the contrary, if tbey were now to come out, you should se« 
us fight under your orders with as nmcli aluciity as ever. But we will be 
amused no longer; we are determined to obtain wbat is our just due.'' They 
elected temporary officers, and moved off in a body towards Princclon. General 
Wayne, to prevent them from plundering the inJiabitants, forwardcnl provisions 
for their use. The next day he followed, and requested tlieni to appoint a man 
from each regiment, to state to him their complaints. The men were appointed, 
a conference held, but he refused to comply with their demands. They pro- 
ceeded in good order to Princeton. Thred emissaries from Sir Henry Clinton 
meeting them here, made them liberal oflTers to entice them from tiic service of 
congress. The offers were instantly rejected, and the emissaries seized and 
confined in strict custody. Here they were also met by a committee of con- 
gress, and a deputation from the State of Pennsylvania. The latter, granting 
a part of their demands, persuaded them to return to their duty. The agenta 
of Clinton were then given up, and immediately executed as spies." 

What liappened in the Jersey line? 
What was the chief cause of these mutinies? 
How did the evil cure itself? 
How was hard money obtained? 



^'^^ AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

Lately John Champe, sergeant-major of the legion of cav- 
alry, who had been for several months considered by the 
corps as a deserter, returned. This high-minded soldier had 
been selected to undertake a very dithcult and perilous 
project, the narration of which is due to his merit, as well 
as to the singularity of his progress. 

The treason of Brigadier Arnold— the capture of Andre 
—with intelligence received by Washington, through his 
confidential agents in New York, communicating that ma- 
ny of his officers, and especially a major gcnorar named to 
him, were connected with Arnold— couKf not tail to seize 
the attention of a commander even less diligent and zealous 
than Washington. It engrossed his mind entirely, exci- 
ting reflections the most anxious as well as unpleasant. 

To Major Lee, afterwards Lieutenant Colonel of the 
legion of cavalry, for whom he had sent, he said, 4 have 
sent for you, in the expectation that you have in your corps 
individuals capable and willing to undertake an indispen- 
sable, delicate, and hazardous project. AVhoever comes 
forward upon this occasion, will lay me under great obliga- 
tions personally, and in behalf of the United^States I will 
reward him amply. No time is to be lost; he must pro- 
ceed, if possible, this night. My object is to probe to the 
bottom the afflicting intelligence contained in the papers 
you have just read; to seize Arnold, and bv getting him, to 
save Andre. They are all connected. While my emis- 
sary is engaged in preparing means for the seizure of Ar- 
nold, the guilt of others can be traced ; and the timely de- 
livery of Arnold to me, will possibly put it into my power 
to restore the amiable and unfortunate Andre to his friends. 

Who returned at this time* 
What liad he been selected for? 
What engrossed Washington's mind? 
What did Washington say to Major Lee? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 171 

My instructions are ready, in which you will find my ex- 
press orders that Arnold is not to be hurt ; but that he be 
permitted to escape if to be prevented only by killing him, 
as his public punishment is the sole object in view. This 
you cannot too forcibly press upon whomsoever may en- 
gage in the enterprise; and this fail not to do. With 
my instructions are two letters, to be delivered as ordered, 
and here are some guineas for expenses.' 

Major Lee replying, said he had little or no doubt but 
that his legion contained many individuals daring enough 
for any operation, however perilous; but that the one in 
view required a combination of qualities not easily to be 
found unless in a commissioned officer, to whom he could 
not venture to propose an enterprise, the first step to which 
was desertion. That though the sergejmt-major of the 
cavalry was in all respects qualified for the delicate and 
adventurous project, and to him it might be proposed with- 
out indelicacy, as his station did not interpose the obstacle 
before stated; yet it was very probable that the same diffi- 
culty would occur in his breast, to remove which would 
not be easy, if practicable. 

Washington was highly pleased at finding that a non- 
commissioned officer was deemed capable of executing his 
views; as he felt extreme difficulty in authorising an invi- 
tation to officers, who generally are, and always ought to 
be, scrupulous and nice in adhering to the course of honor. 
He asked the name, the country, the age, the size, length of 
service, and character of the sergeant. 

Being told his name — that he was a native of Loudon 
county, in Virginia; about twenty-three or twenty-four 
years of age — that he had enlisted in 1776 — rather above 

What was the reply? 

How did Washington receive this reply? Why? 

What was he told? 



172 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

the common size — full of bone and muscle ; with a saturn- 
ine countenance, grave, thoughtful, and taciturn — of tried 
courage, and inflexible perseverance, and as likely to reject 
an overture coupled witli ignominy as an 5^ oflicer in the 
corps; a commission being the goal of his long and anxious 
exertions, and certain on the first vacancy ; — the general 
exclaimed, that he was the very man for the business; that 
he must undertake it; and that going to the enemy by the 
instigation and at the request of his officer, was not deser- 
tion, although it appeared to be so. And he enjoined that 
this explanation, as coming from him, should be pressed on 
Champe; and that the vast good in prospect should be con- 
trasted with the mere semblance of doing wrong, which he 
presumed could not fail to conquer every scruple. Major 
Lee sending instantly for the sergeant-major, introduced 
the business in the way best calculated, as he thought, to 
produce his concurrence. Observing that the chance of 
detection became extremely narrow, and consequently that 
of success enlarged. That by succeeding in the safe de- 
livery of Arnold, he not only gratified his general in the 
most acceptable manner, but he would be hailed as the aven- 
ger of the reputation of the army, stained by foul and wick- 
ed perfidy; and what could not but be highly pleasing, he 
would be the instrument of saving tiie life of Major Andre, 
soon to be brought before a court of inquiry, the decision 
of which could not be doubted, from the universally known 
circumstances of the case, and had been anticipated in the 
general's instructions. That, by investigating with dili- 
gence and accuracy the intelligence communicated to him, 
he would bring to light new guilt, or he would relieve in- 
nocence, (as was most probable) from distrust ; quieting 



What did the general exclaim? 

What did I'e enjoin? 

What did the major obserre as he introduced the business to Champe? 



AMERICAN EEVOLUTION. 1 73 

^he torturing suspicions which now harrowed the mind of 
Washington, and restoring again to his confidence a once 
honored general, possessing it at present only ostensibly, 
as well as hush doubts affecting many of his brother sol- 
diers. 

This discourse was followed by a detail of the plan, with 
a wish that he would enter upon its execution instantly. — 
Champe listened with deep attention, and with a highly 
excited countenance ; the perturbations of his breast not 
being hid even by his dark visage. He briefly and mod- 
estly replied, that no soldier exceeded him in respect and 
affection for the commander-in-chief, to serve whom he 
would willingly lay down his life ; and that he was sensible 
of the honor conferred by the choice of him for the execu- 
tion of a project all over arduous ; nor could he be at a loss 
to know to whom was to be ascribed the preference be- 
stowed, which he took pleasure in acknowledging, although 
increasing obligations before great and many. 

He was not, he said, deterred by the danger and difliculty 
which was evidently to be encountered, but he was deterred 
by the ignominy of desertion, to be followed by the hypoc- 
risy of enlisting with the enemy; neither of which com- 
ported with his feelings, and either placed an insuperable 
bar in his way to promotion. 

He concluded by observing, that if any mode could be 
contrived free from disgrace, he would cordially embark in 
the enterprise. As it was, he prayed to be excused ; and 
hoped that services, always the best in his power to per- 
form, faithfully performed, entitled his prayer to success. 

Major Lee entreated the sergeant to ask himself what 
must be the reflections of his comrades, if a soldier from 

By what was this discourse followed? 
What reply did Champe make? 
HovT did he conclude? 

Q 



174 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

some other corps should execute the attempt, when they 
should be told that the glory transferred to the regiment of 
which he was one, might have been enjoyed by the legion, 
had not Sergeant Champe shrunk from the overture made 
to him by his general, rather than reject scruples too nar- 
row and confined to be permitted to interfere with grand 
and virtuous deeds. The esjjrit du corps could not be re- 
sisted ; united to his inclination, it subdued his prejudices, 
and he declared his willingness to conform to the wishes 
of the general; relying, as he confidently did, that his 
reputation would be protected by those who had induced 
him to undertake the enterprise, should he be unfortunate. 

The instructions were read to him, and each distinct ob- 
ject presented plainly to his view, of which he took notes 
so disguised as to be understood only by himself. He was 
particularly cautioned to use the utmost circumspection in 
delivering his letters, and to take care to withhold from 
the two individuals, addressed under feigned names, knowl- 
edge of each other; for although both had long been in the 
confidence of the general, yet it was not known by either 
that the other was so engaged. 

He was further urged, to bear in constant recollection 
the solemn injunction so pointedly expressed in the instruc- 
tions to Major Lee, of forbearing to kill Arnold in any con- 
dition of things. 

This part of the business being finished, their delibera- 
tion was turned to the manner of Champe's desertion; for 
it was well known to them both that to pass the numerous 
patroles of horse and foot crossing from the stationary 

What did the major say by way of entreaty? 

What was the effect of tiiis appeal? 

What were his instructions? 

What was further urged? 

Describe the difficulties which were in the way of Champe. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 175 

guards, was itself difficult, which was now rendered more 
so by parties thrown occasionally beyond the place called 
Liberty Pole, as well as by swarms of irregulars, induced 
sometimes to venture down to the very point at Powles- 
Hook, with the hope of picking up booty. Evidently dis- 
cernible as were the difficulties in the way, no relief could 
be administered by Major Lee, lest it might induce a belief 
that be was privy to the desertion, which opinion getting to 
the enemy would involve the life of Champe. The ser- 
geant was left to his own resources and to his own man- 
agement, with the declared determination, that in case his 
departure should be discovered before morning, Lee would 
take care to delay pursuit as long as practicable. 

Giving to the sergeant three guineas, and presenting his 
best wishes, he recommended him to start without delay, 
and enjoined him to communicate his arrival in New York 
as soon as he could. Champe pulling out his watch, com- 
pared it with the major's, reminding the latter of the im- 
portance of holding back pursuit, which he was convinced 
would take place in the course of the night, and which 
might be fatal, as he knew that he should be obliged to 
zigzag in order to avoid the patroles, which would con- 
sume time. It was now nearly eleven. The sergeant 
returned to camp, and taking his cloak, valise and orderly 
book, he drew his horse from the picket, and mounting 
him put himself upon fortune. 

Within half an hour Captain Carnes, officer of the day, 
waited upon the major, and with considerable emotion told 
him that one of the patrole had fallen in with a dragoon, 
who, being challenged, put spur to his horse and escaped, 
though instantly pursued. Lee complaining of the inter- 
ruption, and pretending to be extremely fatigued by his 

To what was he left? 

Describe his departure and course. 

What jnformatioo did Captain Carnes bring to Major Leo? 



176 AMERICAN REVOL^TIO^^. 

ride to and from head-quarters, answered as if he did not 
understand what had been said, which compelled the cap- 
tain to repeat it. "Who can the fellow that was pursued be? 
inquired the major ; adding, a countryman, probably. No, 
replied the captain, the patrole sufficiently distinguished 
him to know that he was a dragoon : probably one from the 
army, if not, certainly one of our own. This idea was ridi- 
culed from its improbability, as during the whole war but a 
single dragoon had deserted from the legion. This did not 
convince Carnes, so much stress was it now the fashion to 
lay on the desertion of Arnold, aiid the probable efiect of 
his example. The captain withdrew to examine the squad- 
ron of horse, whom he had ordered to assemble in pursu- 
ance o'L established usage on similar occasions. Very 
quickly he returned, stating that the scoundrel was known, 
and was no less a person than the sergeant-major, who 
had gone off with his horse, baggage, arms and orderly 
book — as neither the one nor the other could be found. — 
Sensibly affected at the supposed baseness of a soldier ex- 
tremely respected, the captain added that he had ordered a 
party to make ready for pursuit, and bogged the major's 
written orders. 

Occasionally this discourse was interrupted, and every 
idea suggested which the excellent character of the ser- 
geant warranted, to induce the suspicion that he had not 
deserted, but had taken the liberty to leave camp with a 
view to personal pleasure; an example, too oJton set by 
the officers themselves, destructive as it was of discipline, 
opposed as it was to orders, and disastrous as it might prove 
to the corps in the course of service. 

How did Lee manage with Cv«»pt. Carney? 

How were these suggestions received by the captain? 

What did he then do? 

On return to the major, wliat did the captain say? 

For what purpose was the discourse interrupted? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 177 

Some little delay was thus interposed; but it being now 
announced that the pursuing party was ready, Major Lee 
directed a change in the officer, saying tliat he had a par- 
ticular service in view, which he had determined to intrust 
to the lieutenant ready lor duty, and which, probably, must 
be perfornuxl in the morning. He therefore directed him 
to summon cornet Middleton for the present command. — 
]\fajor Lee was induced thus to act, first to add to the delay, 
and next from his knowledge of the tenderness of Mid- 
dleton's disposition, which he hoped would lead to the 
protection of Champe, should he be taken. Within ten 
minutes Middleton appeared to I'eceive his orders, which 
were delivered to him made out in the customary form, 
and signed by the major. ' Pursue so far as you can with 
safety sergeant Champe, who is suspected of deserting to 
the enemy, and has taken the road leading to Powles-Hook. 
Bring him alive, that he may suifor in the presence of the 
army; but kill him if he resists, or escapes after being 
taken.' 

Detaining the cornet a few minutes longer in advising 
him what course to pursue — urging him to take care of the 
horse and accoutrements, if recovered — and enjoining him 
to be on his guard, lest he might, by his eager pusuit, im- 
providently fall into the hands of the enemy — the major 
dismissed Middleton, wishing him success. A shower of 
rain fell soon after Champe's departure, which enabled the 
pursuing dragoons to take the trail of his horse; knowing, 
as officer and trooper did, the make of their shoes, the im- 
pression of which, was an unerring guide.* 

♦ The horses hoiiii^ all shod by our own farriers, the shoes were made in the 
same form; which, with a private mark annexed to the fore shoes, and knowQ 

Who was sent in pursuit of Cliainpc? 
What instructions were given to him? 
What enabled them to pursue Champa's rout? 

Q2 



178 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

When Middleton departed, it was a few minutes past 
twelve; so that Champe had only the start of rather more 
than an hour — by no means as long as was desired. The 
pursuing party during the night, was, on their part, delayed 
by the necessary halts to examine occasionally the road, 
as the impression of the horse's shoes directed their course ; 
this was unfortunately too evident, no other horse having 
passed along the road since the shower. When the day 
broke, Middleton was no longer forced to halt, and he pres- 
sed on with rapidity. Ascending an eminence before he 
reached the Three Pigions, some miles on the north of the 
village of Bergen, as the pursuing party reached its sum- 
mit, Champe was descried not more than half a mile in 
front. Resembling an Indian in his vigilance, the sergeant 
at the same moment discovered the party, to whose object 
he was no stranger, and giving spur to his horse, he deter- 
mined to outstrip his pursuers. Middleton at the same 
instant put his horses to the top of their speed ; and being, 
as the legion all were, well acquainted with the country, 
he recollected a short rout through the woods to the bridge 
below Bergen, which diverged from the great road just 
after you gain the Three Pigions. Reaching the point of 
separation, he halted ; and dividing his party, directed a 
sergeant with a ^ew dragoons to take the near cut, and 
possess with all possible despatch the bridge, while he 
with the residue followed Champe; not doubting but that 
Champe must deliver himself up, as he would be closed be- 
tween himself and his sergeant. Champe did not forget 

to the troopers, pointed out the trail of our dragoons to each other, which was 
often very useful. 

How long had be had the start of his pursuers? 
Where did the parties discover each other? 
Wbat course did MiddJeton now adopt? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 179 

the short cut, and would have taken it himself, but he knew 
it was the usual rout of our parties when returning in the 
day from the neighborhood of the enemy, properly prefer- 
ring the woods to the road. He consequently avoided it; 
and persuaded that Middleton would avail himself of it, 
wisely resolved to relinquish his intention of getting to 
Powles-Hook, and to seek refuge from two British galleys, 
lying a few miles to the west of Bergen. 

This was a station always occupied by one or two gal- 
leys, and which it was known now lay there. Entering 
the village of Bergen, Champe turned to his right, and dis- 
guising his change of course as much as he could by tak- 
ing the beaten streets, turning as they turned, he passed 
through the village and took the road towards Elizabeth- 
town Point. Middleton's sergeant gained the bridge, where 
he concealed himself, ready to pounce upon Champe when 
he came up; and Middleton pursuing his course through 
Bergen, soon got also to the bridge, when, to his extreme 
mortification, he found that the sergeant had slipped 
through his fingers. Returning up the road, he inquired 
of the villagers of Bergen, whether a dragoon had been 
seen that morning ahead of his party. He was answered 
in the affirmative, but could learn nothing satisfactorily as 
to the rout he took. While engaged in inquiries himself, 
he spread his party through the village to strike the trail 
of Champe's horse, a resort always recurred to. Some of 
his dragoons hit it just as the sergeant, leaving the village, 
got in the road to the Point. Pursuit was renewed with 
vigor, and again Champe was descried. He, apprehending 
the event, had prepared himself for it, by lashing his valise 



Where did Champe seek refuge? 

When Middleton failed at the bridge, what course did he take? 

What event did Champe apprehend? 

What did he then do? 



180 AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 

(containing his clothes and orderly book) on his shoulders, 
and holding his drawn sword in his hand, having thrown 
away the scabbard. This he did to save what was indis- 
pensable to him, and to prevent any interruption to his 
swimming, should Middleton, as he presumed, when disap- 
pointed at the bridge, take the measures adopted by him. 
The pursuit was rapid and close, as the stop occasioned by 
the sergeant's preparations for swimming had brought 
Middleton within two or three hundred yards. As soon as 
Champe got abreast ot' the two galleys, he dismounted, and 
running through the marsh to the river, plunged into it, 
calling ujion the galleys tor help. This was readily given; 
they tired upon our horse, and sent a boat to meet Champe, 
who was taken in and carried on board, and conveyed to 
New York with a letter from the captain of the galley, 
stating the circumstances he had seen. 

The horse with his equipments, the sergeant's cloak and 
scabbard, were recovered; the sword itself being held by 
Champe until he plunged in the river, was lost, as jNIiddle- 
ton found it necessary to retire without searching for it. 

About three o'clock in the evening our party returned, 
and the soldiers seeing the well known horse in our pos- 
session, uiade the air resound with exclamations that the 
scoundrel was killed. 

Major Lee, called by this heart-rending annunciation 
from his tent, saw the sergeant's horse led by one of ^lid- 
dleton's dragoons, and began to reproach himself with the 
blood of the high prized, fi\ithful and intrepid Chann>e. 
Stiliinw his ajronv he advanced to meet Middleton, and be- 



How cloiso was Middleton in the pursuit? 

What was readily given? By whom? 

Where was Champe taken? 

At what time did the party return? 

What did the soUiiers do on seeing Champe 's horse? 

What Ls said of Major Lee at this time? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 181 

came somewhat relieved as soon as he got near enough to 
discern the countenance of his olllcer and party. There 
was evidence in their looks of disappointment, and he was 
quickly relieved hy I\Iiddlcton''s information that the ser- 
geant had elleetcd his escape with the loss of his horse, and 
narrated the particulars just recited. 

Never was a happier conclusion. The sergeant escaped 
unhurt, carrying with him to the enemy undeniable testi- 
mony of the sincerity of his desertion, — cancelling every 
apprehension before entertained, lest the enemy might sus- 
pect him of being what lie really was. 

Major Lee imparted to the connnander-in-chief the oc- 
currence, who was sensibly ailected by the hairbreadth es- 
cape of Chanipe, and anticipated with pleasure the good 
effect sure to follow the enemy's knowledge of its manner. 
On the fourth day after Champe's departure, Major Lee 
received a letter from him, written the day before in a dis- 
guised hand, without any signature, and stating what had 
passed alter he got on board the galley,' where he was 
kindly received. 

He was carried to the commandant of New York as soon 
as he arrived, and presented the letter addressed to this 
officer from the captain of the galley. Being asked to what 
corps he belonged, and a few other common questions, he 
was sent under care of an orderly sergeant to the adjutant- 
general, who, finding that he was sergeant-major of the le- 
gion horse, heretofore remarkable for their fidelity, began 
to interrogate him. He was told by Champe, that such 
was the spirit of defection which prevailed among the 



Why was this a happy conclusion? 

How was WashiiiEtton afl'cctcd? 

What information did Lee receive from Cliampc? 

After he arrived at New York, where was he carried? 

What examination did he undergo? 

Wliat was his teply to the British comniandant? 



182 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

American troops in consequence of Arnold's example, that 
he had no doubt, if the temper was properly cherished, 
Washington's ranks would not only be greatly thinned, but 
that some of his best corps would leave him. To this con- 
clusion, the sergeant said, he was led by his own observa- 
tions, and especially by his knowledge of the discontents 
which agitated the corps to which he had belonged. His 
size, place of birth, form, countenance, hair, the corps in 
which he had served, with other remarks, in conformity to 
the British usage, was noted down. After this was finish- 
ed, he was sent to the commander-in-chief, in charge of one 
of the staff, with a letter from the adjutant-general. Sir 
Henry Clinton treated him very kindly, and detained him 
more than one hour, asking him many questions, all lead- 
ing, — first, to know to what extent this spirit of defection 
might be pushed by proper incitements, — what the most 
operating incitements, — whether any general officers were 
suspected by Washington as concerned in Arnold's conspi- 
racy, or any other officers of note; — who they were, and 
whether the troops approved or censured Washington''s 
suspicions; — whether his popularity in the army was sink- 
ing, or continued stationary. What was Major Andre's 
situation, — whether any change had taken place in the 
manner of his confinement, — what was the current opinion 
of his probable fate, — and whether it was thought Wash- 
ington would treat him as a spy. To these various inter- 
rogations, some of which were perplexing, Champe an- 
swered warily ; exciting, nevertheless, hopes that the adop- 
tion of proper measures to encourage desertion (of which 

What was noted down? 

To whom was he then sent? 

How did Sir Henry Clinton treat him? 

What did Sir Henry wish first to know? 

How did Champe reply to these various enquiries? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 183 

he could not pretend to form an opinion) would certainly 
bring otF hundreds of the American soldiers, including 
some of the best troops, horse as well as foot. Respecting 
the fate of Andre, he said he was ignorant, though there 
appeared to be a general wish in the army that his life 
should not be taken; and that he believed it would depend 
more upon the disposition of Congress, than on the will of 
Washington. 

After this long conversation ended, Sir Henry presented 
Champe with a couple of guineas, and recommended him 
to wait upon General Arnold, who was engaged in raising 
an American legion in the service of his Majesty. He di- 
rected one of his aids to write to Arnold by Champe, stating 
who he was, and what he had said about the disposition in 
the army to follow his example ; which being soon done, 
the letter was given to the orderly attending on Champe to 
be presented with the deserter to General Arnold. Arnold 
expressed much satisfaction on hearing from Champe the 
manner of his escape, and the effect of Arnold's example ; 
and concluded his numerous inquiries by assigning quar- 
ters to the sergeant, — the same as were occupied by his 
recruiting sergeants. 

He also proposed to Champe to join his legion, telling 
him he would give him the same station he had held in the 
rebel service, and promising further advancement when 
merited. Expressing his wish to retire from war, and his 
conviction of the certainty of his being hung if ever taken 
by the rebels, he begged to be excused from enlistment ;as- 

Wliat did lie say respecting; tlic fate of Andre? 

To whom was lie then sent? 

What was Gen. Arnold cngai^cd at this time in doing? 

What did Sir Henry Clinton direct one of his aids to do? 

How did Arnold receive Cliam[)e? 

What did he propose to liiin? 

How was this proposition received? 



1 84 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

siiring the General, that should lie change his mind, ho 
would certainly accept his ofTcr. Retiring to his quarters, 
Champenow turned his attention to the delivery of his let- 
ters, which he could not edect until the next night, and then 
only to one of the two incogniti to whom he was recom- 
mended. This man received the sergeant with extreme 
attention, and having read the letter, assured Champe that 
he might rely on his faithful co-operation in every thing 
in his power consistent with his safety, to guard which re- 
quired the utmost ])ru(]ence and circumspection. The sole 
object in which the aid of this individual was required, re- 
garded the (Mineral and otluM's of our army, implicated in 
the' in fori nation sent to Washington by him. To this object 
Chainpe urged his attention; assuring him of the solicitude 
it had excited, and telling him that its speedy investigation 
had induced the General to send him in to New York. 
Promising to ent(u' upon it with zeal, and engaging to send 
out Champe''s letters to Major Lee, he fixed the time and 
place for their next meeting, when they separated. 

Major Lee made known to the General what had been 
transmitted to him by Cliampe, and received in answer di- 
rections to press Champe to the expeditious conclusion of 
his mission ; as the fate of Andre would be soon decided, 
when little or no delay could be admitted in executing what- 
ever sentence the court might decree. The same messen- 
ger who brought Champe's letter, returned with the order- 
ed communication. Five days had nearly elapsed after 
reaching Now York, before Champe saw the confidant to 



What did he then turn his attention to? 

Ilovv did this man receive iiim? 

In wliat respect was the aid of tiiisman required? 

What passed l)olw(!cn Lee and Washin<;ton? 

Wliat answer was received from Washington? 

Whom did Champe bcc after five days? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 185 

whom only the attempt against Arnold was to be intrust- 
ed. This person entered with promptitude into the design, 
promising his cordial assistance. To procure a proper as- 
sociate for Champe was the first object, and this he pro- 
mised to do with all possible despatch. B'urnishing a con- 
veyance to Major Lee, to whom Champe stated that he had 
that morning (the last of September) been appointed one of 
Arnold's recruiting sergeants, having enlisted the day be- 
fore with 7\rnold ; and that he was induced to take this 
afflicting step, for the purpose of securing uninterrupted 
ingress and egress to the house which the General occupi- 
ed; it being indispensable to a speedy conclusion of the 
difficult enterprise which the information he had just re- 
ceived had so forcibly urged. He added, that tlie difficul- 
ties in his way were numerous and stubborn, and that his 
prospect of success was by no means cheering. With res- 
pect to the additional treason, he asserted that he had every 
reason to believe that it was groundless; that the report 
took its rise in the enemy's camp, and that he hoped soon 
to clear up that matter satisfactorily. The pleasure which 
the last part of this communication affljrded, was damped 
by the tidings it imparted respecting Arnold, as on his spee- 
dy delivery depended Andre's relief. The interposition of 
Sir Henry Clinton, who was extremely anxious to save his 
aid-de-car ip, still continued; and it was expected the ex- 
amination of witnesses and the defence of the prisoner, 
would protract the decision of the court of inquiry, now as- 

IIow did tliis por«ori enter into the measure? 

What was it the first object to procure? 

What appointment had Cliampe received? 

Why was he induced to take this step? 

Wliat did he Hay respecting the additional treason? 

How wastiie pleasure, which the last part of this communication afforded 

Major Lee, damped? 
What did Sir Henry Clinton continue to do? 

R 



186 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

sembled, and give sufficient time for the consuniniatioii of 
the project committed to Champe. A complete disappoint- 
ment took place from a quarter unforeseen and unexpected. 
The honorable and accomplished Andre, knowing his 
guilt, disdained defence, and prevented the examination of 
witnesses by confessing the character in which he stood. 
On the next day, (the 2d of October) the court again as- 
sembled; when every doubt that could possibly arise in the 
case having been removed by the previous confession, An- 
dre v»-as declared to be a spy, and condemned to sutler ac- 
cordingly. 

The sentence was executed on the subsequent day in the 
usual form, the commander-in-chief deeming it improper to 
interpose any delay. 

The fate of Andre, hastened by himself, deprived the 
enterprise committed to Champe of a feature which had 
been highly prized by its projector, and which had very 
much engaged the heart of the individual chosen to exe- 
cute it. 

Champe deplored the sad necessity which had occurred, 
and candidly confessed that the hope of enabling Washing- 
ton to save the life of Andre, (who had been the subject of 
universal commiseration in the American camp) greatly 
contributed to remove the serious difficulties which oppos- 
ed his acceding to the proposition when first propounded. 
Some documents accompanied this communication, tending 
to prove the innocence of the accused General ; they were 
completely satisfactory, and did credit to the discrimina- 



Whnt was expected? 

How was a complete disappointment produced? 

On the 2d of October, what took place? 

What took place? How? 

What did the late of Andre do? 

Champe deplored what? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 187 

tioii, 7.cal, and diligence of the sergeant. Nothing now re- 
mained to be done, but tl\e seizure and safe delivery of Ar- 
nold. To this subjeet Champe gave his undivided atten- 
tion. 

Ten days elapsed before Chamjie brought his measures 
to conclusion, when Major Lee received from him his final 
communication, appointing the third subsequent night for 
a party of dragoons to meet him at llobokcn, when he hop- 
ed to deliver Arnold to the oilicer. Champe had from his 
enlistment into the American legion, (Arnold^s corps) every 
opportunity he could wish, to attend to the habits of the 
General. He discovered that it was his custom to return 
home about twelve every night, and that previous to going 
to bed he always visited the garden. During this visit the 
conspirators were to seize him, and being prepared with a 
gag, intended to have applied the same instantly. 

Adjoining the house in which Arnold resided, and that in 
which it was designed to seize and gag him, Champe had 
taken off several of the palings and replaced them, so that 
with care and without noise he could readily open his way 
to the adjoining alley. Into this alley he meant to have 
conveyed his prisoner, aided by his companion, one of two 
associates who had been introduced by the friend to whom 
Champe had been originally made known by letter from 
the commander-in-chief, and with whose aid and counsel he 
had so far conducted the enterprise. His other associate 
was with the boat prepared at one of the wharves on the 
Hudson river, to receive the party. 

Champe and his friend intended to have placed them- 
selves each under Arnold's shoulder, and to have thus 



Wlmt rcnmincil now to be done? 

Where was a party of dragoons to meet Clianipc? 

What was Arnold's custom? 

Wlmt was to be done in the garden? 



188 AJIERICAN REVOLUTION. 

borne him through the most unfrequented alleys and 
streets to the boat; representing Arnold, in case of being 
questioned, as a drunken soldier, whom they were convey- 
ing to the guard-house. 

When arrived at the boat the difficulties would be all 
surmounted, there being no danger nor obstacle in passing 
to the Jersey shore. The day arrived, and Major Lee with 
a party of dragoons left camp late in the evening, with 
three led horses; one for Arnold, one for the sergeant, and 
the third for his associate, never doubting the success of 
the enterprise, from the tenor of the last received commu- 
nication. The .party reached Hoboken about midnight, 
where they were concealed in the adjoining wood, — Lee, 
with three dragoons, stationing himself near the river 
shore. Hour after hour passed, — no boat approached. At 
length the day broke and the IMajor retired to his party, 
and with his led horses returned to camp, when he pro- 
ceeded to head-quarters to inform the General of the disap- 
pointment, as mortitying as inexplicable. 

In a few days, Major Lee received an anonymous letter 
from Champe's patron and friend, informing him that on 
the day previous to the night fixed for the execution of the 
plot, Arnold had removed his quarters to another part of 
the town, to superintend the embarkation of troops, pre- 
paring (as was rumored) for an expedition to be directed 
by himself; and that the American legion, consisting chief- 
ly of deserters, had been transferred from their barracks 
to one of the transports; it being apprehended that if left 
on shore until the expedition was ready, many of them 
might desert. Thus it happened that John Champe, in- 

Describe the preparations and arrangements for taking Arnold off? 
What party reached Hoboken about midnight? 
What letter was received a few days aftear* 
What were its contents? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 189 

Stead of crossing the Hudson that night, was safely depos- 
ited on board one of the fleet of transports, from whence he 
never departed until the troops under Arnold landed in 
Virginia! Nor was he able to escape from the British 
army until after the junction of Lord Cornwallis at Peters- 
burg, when he deserted ; and proceeding high up into Vir- 
ginia, he passed into North Carolina near the Saura towns, 
and keeping in the friendly districts of that State, safely 
joined the army soon after it had passed the Congaree in 
pursuit of Lord Rawdon. 

His appearance excited extreme surprise among his for- 
mer comrades, which was not a little increased when they 
saw the cordial reception he met with from Lieutenant- 
Colonel Lee. His whole story soon became known to the 
corps, which re-produced the love and respect of officer and 
soldier, heightened by universal admiration of his daring 
and arduous attempt. 

Champe was introduced to General Greene, who cheer- 
fully complied with the promises made by the commander- 
in-chief, as far as in his power; and having provided the 
sergeant with a good horse and money for his journey, 
sent him to General Washington, who munificently antici- 
pated every desire of the sergeant, and presented him with 
a discharge from further service,* lest he might in the vi- 

* "When General Washington was called by President Adams to the com- 
mand of tlie army, prepared to defend the country from French hostility, 
he sent to Lieutenant-Colonel Lee to inquire for Champe; being determined to 
bring him into the field at the head of a company of infantry. 

When, and where, did Champe desert? 
How was he received by Col. Lee, and his former comrades? 
What did his story produce? 

How was Champe treated by Greene? How by Washington? 
What did Wu-sliington present him with? Why? 
E 2 



190 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

cissitudes of war, fall into the enemy's hands ; when, if re- 
cognized, he was sure to die on a gibbet. 



SECTION XXXIII. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1781— DEFEAT OF GREENE, BY LORD CORN- 
WALLIS. 

Though the Spaniards and the Dutch had united with 
France in hostility against Britain, she, with dauntless 
spirit, every where made head against her foreign ene- 
mies; and his Majesty's ministers were now, still more 
than ever, determined, by an extension of combined mea- 
sures, to reduce the North American provinces to submis- 
sion. The plan of the campaign of 1781, accordingly, 
comprehended active operations in the States of New York, 
Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. The invasion of 
the last mentioned province was intrusted to Arnold, who, 
taking with him a force of about 1600 men, and a number 
of armed vessels, sailed up the Chesapeake, spreading ter- 
ror and devastation wherever he came. An attempt to in- 
tercept him was made by the French fleet, which sailed 
from Rhode Island for that purpose; but after an indeci- 
sive engagement with the squadron of Admiral Arbuthnot, 
off the capes of Virginia, was obliged to return to Newport, 
leaving the invaded province open to the incursiqns of the 

•' Colonel Lee sent to Loudon county, where Champe settled after his dis- 
charge from the army; but learned that the gallant soldier had removed to Ken- 
tucky, and had soon after died." 

Who had united with France? 

What were his Majesty's ministers determined more than ever to do? 

What was the plan of the campaign of 1781? 

To whom was the invasion of Virginia intrusted? 

What attempt was made to intercept his proceedings? 

How did he discharge liis trust? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 191 

British, who, making occasional advances into the country, 
destroyed an immense quantity of public stores, and en- 
riched themselves with an extensive plunder of private 
property, at the same time burning all the shipping in the 
Chesapeake and its tributary streams, which they could not 
conveniently carry away as prizes. The Carolinas also 
suffered severely by the scourge of war. When Gates was 
superseded in the command of the American forces in that 
district, ho was succeeded by General Greene, to whose 
charge he transferred the poor remains of his army, which 
were collected at Charlotte, in North Carolina, and which 
amounted only to 2000 men. These troops were imper- 
fectly armed and badly clothed; and such was the poverty 
of their military chest, that they were obliged to supply 
themselves with provisions by forced requisitions made up- 
on the inhabitants of the adjacent country. In these cir- 
cumstances, to encounter the superior numbers of the ene- 
my in pitched battle would have been madness. Greene, 
therefore, resolved to carry on the war as a partisan officer, 
and to avail himself of every opportunity of harassing the 
British in detail. 

The first enterprise which he undertook in prosecution 
of this system was eminently successful. Understanding 
that the inhabitants of the district of Ninety-six, who had 
submitted to the royal authority, were severely harassed 
by the licensed acts of plunder committed by the king's 
troops and the loyalists, he sent General Morgan into that 
quarter with a small detachment, which was, on its arrival, 
speedily increased by the oppressed countrymen, who were 
burning for revenge. Lord Cornwallis, who was, at this 

Who succeeded Gates in the Carolinas? 

What was the number and situation of the remains of the array? 
In what way did Greene resolve to carry on the war? 
Describe his first enterprise. 



192 A3rEEICAN EEVOLUTIOX. 

moment, on the point of invading North Carolina, no sooner 
heard of this movement, than he sent Lieutenant-Colonel 
Tarleton with 1100 men, to drive i\lorgan out of the dis- 
trict. Tarleton was an excellent partisan othcer, and had 
gained great reputation by his superior activity, and by 
his success in various rencounters with detached parties of 
the republican troops. This success, however, and the 
superiority of his numbers to those of Morgan's forces, 
caused him too much to despise the enemy. In pursuance 
of Lord Cornwall is*s orders, he marched in quest of his 
antagonist, and, on the evening of the 16th of January, 
1781, he arrived at the ground which General ]\Iorgan had 
quitted but a few hours before. At two o'clock the next 
morning he recommenced his pursuit of the enemy, march- 
ing with extraordinary rapidity through a very ditlicult 
country, and at daylight he discovered the enemy in his 
front. From the intelligence obtained from prisoners who 
were taken by his scouting parties, he learned that i\Iorgan 
awaited his attack at a place called the Cowpens, near Pa- 
colet river. Here the American commiander had d^a^vnup 
his little army, two-thirds of which consisted of militia, in 
two lines, the first of which was advanced about two hun- 
dred yards be lore the second, with orders to ibrm on the 
right of the second in case the onset of the enemy should 
oblige them to retire. The rear was closed by a small 
body of regular cavalry, and about forty-five mounted mili- 
tia-men. On the sight of this array, Tarleton ordered his 
troops to form in line. But before this arrangement was 
effected, that officer, obeying the dictates of valor rather 
than those of prudence, commenced the attack, heading his 

Whom did Cornwallis send against Morgan? 
How was Tarleton distinguished? 
Where did Morgan await for liim? 
How was his army arranged? 



AMERICAN KEVOLTJTION. 1 9o 

squadron in person. The British advanced with a shout, 
and assailed the enemy with a well-directed discharge of 
musketry. The Americans reserved their fire till the 
British were within forty or fifty yards of their ranks, and 
then poured among them a volley which did considerable 
execution. The British, however, undauntedly pushed on 
and swept the militia off the field. They then assailed the 
second line, and compelled it to fall back on the cavalry. 
Here the Americans rallied, and renewed the fight with 
desperate valor; charging the enemy with fixed bayonets, 
they drove back the advance, and following up their suc- 
cess, overthrew the masses of their opponents as they pre- 
sented themselves in succession, and finally won a complete 
and decisive victory. Tarleton ficd from the bloody field, 
leaving his artillery and baggage in the possession of the 
enemy. His loss amounted to 300 killed and wounded, and 
500 prisoners, whilst that of the Americans was only 
twelve killed and sixty wounded. Immediately after the 
action, General Greene sent off his prisoners, under a 
proper guard, in the direction of Virginia; and as soon as 
he had made the requisite arrangements, he followed them 
with his little army. On receiving intelligence of Tarle- 
ton's disaster, Lord Cornwallis hastened in pursuit of the 
retreating enemy, and forced his marches with such effect, 
that he reached the Catawba river on the evening of the 
day on which Morgan had crossed it ; but here his progress 
was for a short while impeded, as a heavy fall of rain had 
rendered the stream impassable. When the waters subsi- 
ded, he hurried on, hoping to overtake the fugitives before 



Describe the batUe? 

What was Tarlcton's loss in killcil, wounded and prisoners? 

Whither did Greene send his prisoners? 

Where did Cornwallis follow in pursuit? 

What impeded his progress? 



194 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

they had passed the Yadkin; but when he had arrived 
at that river, he found to his mortification tliat they had 
crossed it, and had secured the craft and boats which they 
had used for that purpose on the eastern bank. He there- 
fore marched higher up the stream, till he found the river 
fordable. Whilst he was employed in this circuitous 
movement. General Green had united his forces with those 
of Morgan, at Guildford Court House. Still, however, the 
forces of the American commander were so inferior to 
those of his pursuers, that, not daring to risk an engage- 
ment, he hastened straight onwards to the river Dan; 
whilst Lord Cornwallis, traversing the upper country, 
where the streams are fordable, proceeded, in the hope 
that he might gain upon the enemy, so as to overtake them, 
in consequence of their being obstructed in their progress 
by the deep water below. But so active was Greene, and 
so fortunate in finding the means of conveyance, that he 
crossed the Dan into Virginia, with his whole army, artil- 
lery and baggage. So narrow, however, was his escape, 
that the van of Cornwallis's army arrived in time to witness 
the ferrying over of his rear. 

Mortified as Lord Cornwallis was by being thus disap- 
pointed of the fruits of this toilsome march, he consoled 
himself by the reflection that, the American army being 
thus driven out of North Carolina, he was master of that 
province, and was in a condition to recruit his forces by the 
accession of the loyalists, with whom he had been led to 
believe that it abounded. He therefore summoned all true 
subjects of his majesty to repair to the royal standard, which 

What further? 

What did Greene do in the meantime? 

Wliither did he then hasten? 

By what was Lord Cornwallis mortified? How consoled? 

Whom did he summons? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 195 

he had erected at Hillsborough. This experiment liad lit- 
tle success. The friends of government were in general 
timid, and diffident of his lordship's power ultimately to 
protect them. Their terrors were confirmed, when they 
learned that the indefatigable Greene had recrossed the 
Dan, and had cut off a body of tories who were on their 
march to join the royal forces, and that he had compelled 
Tarleton to retreat from the frontier of the province to 
Hillsborough. For seven days, the American commander 
maneuvered within ten miles of the British camp ; and at 
the end of that time, having received reinforcements from 
Virginia, he resolved to give Lord Cornwallis battle. The 
engagement took place on the 15th of March, at Guildford. 
The American army consisted of 4400 n^en, and the British 
of only 2400; but notwithstanding this disparity of num- 
bers, disciplined valor prevailed. The American militia 
gave way with precipitation, and though the regulars fought 
with spirit, they were obliged to retreat, but only to the 
distance of three miles. Lord Cornwallis kept the field, 
but he had suffered such loss in the action, that he was una- 
ble to follow up his victory, and soon afterwards marched 
towards Wilmington, leaving behind him his sick and 
wounded. On this march he was pursued by Greene as 
far as Deep river. 



With what success? Why? 

How were their terrors confirmed? 

What did Greene do for seven daj's? 

Where did a battle take place? 

Of what number did the American army consist? What the British i 

What was the result? 



196 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



SECTION XXXIV. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1781 CONTINUED— DEFEAT OF LORD RAWDON, 
BY GENERAL GREENE. 

At Wilmington, Lord Cornwallis made a halt for three 
days, for the purpose of giving his troops some rest; and 
at the end of that time, resolving to carry the war into 
Virginia, he marched to Petersburgh, an inland town of 
that province, situated on James river. Hither it was ex- 
pected that he would have been followed by the enemy ; 
but Greene being aware that his lordship had by this move- 
ment ^approahed nearer to the main army of the Ameri- 
cans, and confident that his motions would be closely 
watched by the Virginia militia, after mature considera- 
ation adopted the bold measure of again penetrating into 
South Carolina. That province was in the military occu- 
pation of the British, who were, indeed, harassed by tlic 
partisan troops of Marion and Sumpter, but were in such 
apparent strength, that there was reason to fear that the 
republicans, if not aided by further support, would abandon 
the cause of their country in despair.* The British had 

" * There were yet some citizens, who, in all fortunes, adhered with firmness 
to the cause of independence. Of these, in one part of the State, General Sump- 
ter was the leader, in another. General Marion. The cavalry of the latter 
were so destitute of the weapons of war, that they were obliged to cut their 
swords from the saws of the sawmills. He was so successful in concealing 
himself in woods and marshes, that the enemy were never able to attack 
or discover him. From these dark retreats he often sallied forth, and fell 
unexpectedly upon parties of the enemy, when marching through the coun- 
try, or posted in garrisons to overawe the inhabitants. In one of these sal- 
lies, he released one hundred and fifty continentals captured at Camden. His 

What did Cornwallis resolve? 

What measure did Greene adopt? 

What was the state of affairs in South Carolina at this time? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 197 

formed chains of posts, which extending from the sea to 
the western extremity of the province, maintained a mutual 
(communication by strong patrols and bodies of horse. The 
first of these lines of defence was established on the Wa- 
teree, on the banks of which river the British occupied the 
well-fortified town of Camden, and fort Watson, situated 
between that place and Charleston. The attack of the fort, 
Greene intrusted to Marion, who soon compelled its garri- 
son to surrender on capitulation. In encountering Lord 
Rawdon, near Camden, Greene was not so fortunate. In 
consequence of the unsteadiness of a few of his troops, he 
was defeated, but moved off the ground in such good order 
that he saved his artillery, and though wounded, he took 
up a position, at the distance of about five miles from Cam- 
den, from which he sent out parties to intercept the sup- 
plies, of which he was apprised that his antagonist was in 
the utmost need. In consequence of the vigilance of 
Greene, in cutting off his resources, and of the loss of Fort 
Watson, which had been the link of his communication 
with Charleston, Lord Rawdon, after liaving in vain en- 
deavored to bring on a second general engagement with 
the Americans, was reduced to the necessity of destroying 
a part of his baggage, and retreating to the south side of 
the river Santee. This retrograde movement encouraged 
the friends of Congress to resume their arms, and hasten 
to reinforce the corps of Marion, who speedily made him- 

repeatcd and successful excursions preserved alive the spirit of resistance, and 
his high fame as a partizan was never tarnished by any violation of the laws of 
war or humanity." 

How were the British posts situated? 
WTiat service did Marion perform? 
In what did Greene fail? Why? 
What was Lord Rawdon obliged to do? 
What were the effects of this movement? 

s 



198 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

self master of the British posts on the Congaree, the garri- 
sons of which were in general made prisoners, whilst those 
which escaped that fate by a timely evacuation of their 
positions, made good their retreat to the capital of the 
province. Savannah river now presented the last line of 
defence held by the British, who there possessed the town 
of Augusta and the post of Ninety-six. The former of 
those places was attacked by Lieutenant-Colonel Lee, and 
after a defence of unprecedented obstinacy on the part of 
its commander. Colonel Brown, it surrendered on honora- 
ble terms. The important post of Ninety-six, commanded 
by Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger, was strongly fortified, and 
defended by 500 men. On reconnoitering the place, General 
Greene, whose army was not much more numerous than 
the garrison, determined to besiege it in form. He accord- 
ingly broke ground on the 25th of i\Iay, and pushed his 
works with such vigor, that he had approached within six 
yards of the ditch, and had erected a mound thirty feet 
high, from which his riflemen poured their shot with fatal 
aim upon the opposite parapet of the enemy, who were 
hourly expected to beat a parley. But this bright prospect 
of success was at once overclouded by the arrival of intel- 
ligence that Lord Rawdon, having received reinforcements 
from Ireland, was hastening to the relief of his country- 
men, at he head of 2000 men. In this extremity, Greene 
made a desperate eflbrt to carry tlie place by assault, but 
was repulsed, and evacuating the works whiqli he had con- 
structed with so much labor, he retreated to the northward 

Of what posts did Marion make himself master? 
What were the possessions of the British now confined to? 
j Who took the town of Augusta? 

What was tlie situation of the post of Nmety-six? 
By whom was it attacked? 
Describe the plan of the battle? 
What was the result? Why? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 199 

across the Saluda, from whence he was chased by Lord 
Rawdon beyond the Ennorce. 

The feelings of the American commander on seeing the 
fruit of his toils thus suddenly and unexpectedly torn from 
his grasp, must have been of a most agonizing nature. But 
Greene was gifted with an elasticity of spirit which pre- 
vented him from yielding to the pressure of misfortune, 
and his opponents seldom found him more dangerous than 
immediately after suffering a defeat. On the present occa- 
sion, when some of his counsellors, in the moment of des- 
pondency, advised him to retreat into Virginia, he firmly 
replied, that ' he would save South Carolina, or perish in 
the attempt.' On maturely deliberating on the object ef 
the campaign, and on the relative situation of himself and 
the enemy, he was well aware that though Lord Eawdon 
was superior to him in the number as well as the discipline 
of his troops ; yet, if his lordship kept his army concentra- 
ted, he could afford no encouragement, or even protection, 
to the royalists, and that if it were divided, it might be 
beaten in detail. As he expected, the British commander, 
fnidinfr that he could not brinsj him to an en^a2;ement, took 
the latter course, and withdrawing a detachment from 
Ninety-six, re-established himself on the line of the Con- 
garee. Within two days, however, after his arrival at the 
banks of that river, he was astonished to find his indefati- 
gable enemy in his front, with numbers so recruited, that 
he thought it prudent to decline the battle which was offered 
him, and retreated to Orangcburgh, where he was joined 

What were the feelines of Gen. Greene at this time? 

What was a peculiar characteristic of him? 

On this occasion what was he advised to do? 

WJiat was his reply? 

On mature deliberation what was he well aware of? 

What course did the British commander adopt? 

By wliat was he astonished? 



200 . AMERIC-IN KEVOLUTIOX. 

by Licutcnant-Coloncl Cniger, who, in the present circum- 
stances, had thought it expedient to evacuate his post at 
Ninety-six. On the junction of the forces of these two 
commanders, Greene retired to the heights above Santee, 
from whence he sent his active coadjutors. Clarion and 
Sumpter, with strong scouting parties, to interrupt the 
communication between Orangeburgh aud Charleston. As 
a last effort to maintain their influence in the center of the 
province, the British took post in force near the confluence 
of the Waterec and the Congaree; but on the approach of 
Greene, they retreated for the space of forty miles, and 
waited his threatened attack at the Eutaw Springs.* Here 

* '"On the 8th of September, at four in tlie morning. General Greene advance*! 
wit]i 2000 men, to attack them in their encampment. Eis army moved from 
the ground in the following order. The South and North Carolina militia, com- 
manded by Generals Marion and Pickens, and by Colonel Malmedy, ronitiosai 
the front line; the continental troops, from North Carolina, Virginia, and Ma- 
ryland, led on by General Sumner, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, and Colonel 
Williams, composed the second line. The legion of Lieutenant-Colonel Loo 
covered tlie right flank; and the State troops of Soutii Carolina, under Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Henderson, covered the left. Lieutenant-Colonel Wasliington with 
his cavalry, and Captain Kirkwood with the Delaware troops, formed a corji? 
de resers-e. As the army advanced, tlie van fell in with two parties of tlie 
Britisli, about four miles from tl.e camp of Eutaw, and was briskly attacke<l: 
but liie enemy, on receiving a heavy fire from the State troops, aud a cbarso 
with t ];e bayonet from the infantry of the locion, soon retired. On notice of 
the approach of the Americans, Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, who commandojl 
the British army, immediately formed tlic line of battle. It was drawn up 
obliquely across the road, on the heights near Eutaw Springs. The right Hank 
was covered by a battalion, commiuided by Major Majoribanks. the left of 
vfhich approaclied tlie road, and was concealed by a tliick hedge. The road 
was occupied by two pieces of artillery, and a covering party of infantry. The 
front lino5 of the Americans continuing to lire and advance, the action soon b-e- 
camo general. In the heat of tlie engageinont. Colonel Williaans and Lieuti?n- 

To what place did he tlien retreat ? 
"Where did Greene then retire to? 
Where did he send Marion and Sumpter? 
As a last elfort what did tlie British do? 



AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 201 

an obstinate engagement took place, in which the British 
were defeated with the loss of 1100 men, and were com- 
pelled to abandon the province to the republicans, and take 
shelter in Charleston. Of all the incidents of the Ameri- 

ant-Coloncl Campbell, with the Maryland and Virginia continentals, were or- 
dered to charge with trailed arras; and nothing could exceed the intrepidity 
with which these orders were executed. The troops^shed on in good order 
through a tremendous fire of artillery and riiusketry, and bore down all before ' 
them. Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, while leading on his men to the decisive 
charge, received a mortal wound. On inquiring, after he had fallen, who gave 
way, and being told that tlic British were fleeing in all quarters, he said, "I die 
contented,'" and immodiatelj' expired. A part of tlie British line, consisting of 
new troops, broke and fled; but the veteran corps received the charge of the 
assailants on tlie points of their bayonets. The hostile ranks were a short time 
intermingled, and the officers tbught hand to hand; but Lee, who had turned 
the British left flank, charging them at this instant in the rear, their line was 
soon completely broken, and driven otf the field. They were vigorously pur- 
sued by the Americans, who took upward of 500 of them prisoners. The 
enemy, on tlieir retreat, took post in a large three storj- brick house, and in a 
picketed garden; and from these advantageous positions renewed the action. 
Four 6 pounders were ordered up before the house; but the Americans were 
compelled to leave these pieces and retire. They formed again at a small dis- 
tance in tlie woods; but General Greene, thinking it inexpedient to renew the 
desperate attempt, left a strong picket on the field of battle, and retired with 
his prisoners to the ground from which he had marched in the morning. In the 
evening of tlie next day, Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, leaving 70 of his wounded 
men and 1000 stand of arms, moved from Eutaw toward Cliarleston. The loss 
oftl;e British, inclusive of prisoners, was supposed to be not less than 1100 
men.* The loss of the .Americans, in killed, wounded, and missing, was 555. 
Congress passed a vote of thanks to every corps in the army; and a resolution 
for presenting to Major-General Green, " as an honorable testimony of his merit, 
a British standard, and a golden medal, emblematic of the battle, and of his vic- 
tory." The battle of Eutaw may be considered as closing the revolutionary 
war in South Carolina." 

* '-It was stated by themselves to be 693 men; of whom 85 only were killed in 
the field. General Greene, in his letter to congress of 11 September, says, that 
including 70 wounded who were left at Eutaw, he had made 500 prisoners. — 
♦» The fugitives," he observes, «' spread such an alarm, that the enemy barnt 
their provisions at Dorchester, and quitted their post at Fairlawn. Nothing but 

What took place at Eutaw Springs? 

s2 



202 AMEKICAX RETOLrTIOX. 

call revolutionary war. the most brilliant is this campaign 
ot' General Greene. At the head of a beaten army, undi;*- 
ciplined, and badly equipped, he entered the province of 
South Carolina, which was occupied, from its eastern to its 
■western extremity, by an enemy much superior to him in 
number, in appointments, and in military experience. But 
by his genius, his'courage, and his perseverance, he broke 
through their lines of operation, drove them from post to 
post, and though defeated in the field, he did not cease to 
harass them in detail, till he had driven them within the 
fortilications of the capital. Well did he merit the gold 
medal and the British standard bestowed upon him by a 
vote of Congress, for his services on this occasion. By his 
successes he revived the drooping spirits of the friends of 
independence in the Southern States, and prepared the way 
for the final victories which awaited the arms of his coun- 
try in Virginia, and wh.ieh. lotl to the happy termination of 
the war. 

Whilst the American comriiander was enjoying the hon- 
ors bestowed upon him by his grateful countrymen, as the 
just meed of his valor and skill in arms. Lord Rawdon, soon 
after his return to Charleston, by an example of severity, 
brought odium on the British cause and fired the breasts of 

t!ie brick house, .ind tlieii stron? post at Eutaw's, hindered the remains of tbe 
British army from failing into our hands.'' General Green testified Idgh respeci 
tor the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell. Colonel Henderson, a valua- 
ble olliccr. received a dangerous wound during the action, and the comraand of 
ih.e South Carolina State troops devolved on Colonel Wade Hampton, an officer 
of distinguished merit, who made a very spirited charge, in which lie took «jv- 
wards of 100 prisoners. In tliis confusion, Colonel Washington brought np 
tha corps de reserve, and charged tlie enemy bo briskly on the left, as to give 
them no time to rally; and upwards of 500 were taken prisoners. Colonel 
Waslungton was wounded; and while disengaging himself from his liorsc. which 
was shot under him, he was taken prisoner." 



Give a sketch of this brilliant campaign? 



AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 203 

the continentals with indignation. Amongst the American 
oihcers. who distinguished themselves in the deienee of 
South Carolina, was Colonel Haynes, a gentleman of for- 
tune, anil of considerable influence in his neighborhood. 
After the capitulation of Charleston, Haynes voluntarily 
surrcndered himself to the British authorities, requesting 
to be allowed his personal liberty on his parole. This in- 
dulgence, usually granted to officers of rank, he could not 
obtain : and was told that he must either take the oath of 
allegiance to his Britannic JMajcsty, or submit to close con- 
linemcnt. In an evil hour, induced by family considera- 
tions he chose the former alternative, and signed a decla- 
ration of tcalty to George III., protesting, however, against 
the clause which required him to support the royal govern- 
ment with arms: which clause, the officer who received 
his submission assured him it was not intended to enforce. 
The oiliccr in question, no doubt in this assurance exceed- 
ed his authority, and Ha^-nes was time alter time summon- 
ed to join the royal standard. Regarding this as a breach 
of the contract into which ho had entered with the British, 
he again took up arms on the side of independence, and 
having been taken prisoner in a skirmish with part of the 
royal forces, he vras, without the formality of a trial, order- 
ed for execution by Lord Rawdon. To the petitions of thij< 
unfortunate officer's children, as well as those of the inhabi- 
tants of Charleston, his lordship turned a deaf ear, and 
Haynes sulfered death as a rebel and a traitor.* Though 
the death of this gallant soldier, may be vindicated by the 

« •' To il'.eir own, and to the great honor of human nature, numbers of tli« 
British ami loyalists, with governor Bull at their head, preferred a petition to 
lord Rawdon in his behalf. But the petition was not noticed. The latliesthcn 

What brought odium on the British cause? 

Who was Colonel Haynes? 

Give a description of his situation? 



204 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

strictness of the law, its policy was, in the existing circum- 
stances, extremely questionable. 

came forward in his favor with a petition, couched in the most delicate and 
moving terms, and signed by all the principal females of Charleston, tories as 
well as wliigs. But all to no purpose. It was then suggested by the friends of 
humanity, that if the colonel's little children, for they had no mother, she, poor 
woman ! crushed under the double weight of grief and the small-pox, was just 
sunk at rest in the grave. It was suggested, I say, that if the colonel's little 
cJiildren, dressed in mourning, were to fall at the knees of Lord Rawdon, he 
would pity their motherless condition, and give to their prayers their only sur- 
viving parent. They were accordingly dressed in black, and introduced into 
his presence: they fell down at his knees, and, with clasped hands and tear- 
streaming eyes, lisped their father's name, and begged his life : but in vain. 

So many efforts to save him, both by friends and generous foes, could not be 
made, unknown to Colonel Haynes. But he appeared perfectly indifferent 
about the result; and when told that they had all failed, he replied with the ut- 
most unconcern — "Well, thank God, Lord Rawdon cannot hurt me. lie can- 
not be more anxious to take my life than I am to lay it down." 

With his son, a youth of thirteen, who was permitted to stay with him in 
the prison, Co'.onel Haynes used often to converse, in order to fortify him 
against the sad trial that was at hand. And indeed it was necessary, for sol. 
dom has a heavier load been laid on a tender-hearted youth. War, like a thick 
cloud, had darkened up the gay morning of his days, the grave had just closed 
her mouth on a mother who doatcd on him ; and he now beheld his only pa- 
rent, a beloved father, in the power of his enemies, loaded with irons, and con- 
demned to die. With cheeks wet with tears, he sat continually by his father's 
side, and looked at him with eyes so piercing and sad, as often wrung tears of 
blood from his heart. 

"Why," said he, "my son, will you thus break your father's heart with una- 
vailing sorrow? Have I not often told you, that we came into this world but 
to prepare for a better? For that better life, my dear boy, your ftither is pre. 
pared. Instead then of weeping, rejoice with me, my son, that my troubles are 
so near an end. To-morrow, I set out for immortality. You will accompany 
me to the place of my execution; and when I am dead, take and bury me by 
the side of your mother." 

The youth here fell on his father's neck, crying, " Oh my fatlicr ! Oh ray 
father! I will die with you ! I will die with you !" 

Colonel Haynes would have returned the strong embrace of his son ; but, 
alas ! his hands were loaded with irons. " Live," said he, " mj' son, live to 
Lonor God by a good life ; live to serve your country ; and live to take care of 
your brother and little sisters !" 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ' 205 

Note. — An instance of personal courage and hardihood 
occurred on the Eastern frontier about tliis time, and is 
thus related by the late President Dwight, who had it from 
General Wadswovth. 

' After the failure of the expedition against the British 
garrison at Penobscot, General Wadsworth was sent, in the 
spring of 1780, by the Legislature of IMassachusetts to 
command in the district of ]\raine. The principal objects 
of his mission were to retain the inhabitants in their alle- 
giance, and in their attachment to the American cause, and 
to obstruct the efforts of the enemy. In these employments 
he spent the summer of 1780, and the principal part of the 
following winter. Before the end of February he dismis- 
sed his troops ; the period of their enlistment being finish- 
ed ; and began to make the necessary preparations for his 
return to Boston. Mrs. Wadsworth, and a friend of hers, 
]\liss Fenno of Boston, had accompanied him, and continu- 
ed here till this time. 

Tlie next morning Colonel Ilaynes was conducted to the place of execution. 
His son accompanied him. Soon as tliey came in sight of tlie gallows, the father 
strengthened himself and said — "Now, my son, show yourself a man. That 
tree is the boundary of my life and of all my life's sorrows. Beyond that, tlie 
wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. Don't lay too much fo 
heart our separation from you ; it will be but short. 'Twas but lately your dear 
motlier diod. To-day I die. And you, my son, tliough hut young must short- 
ly follow us." 

" Yes, my father^" replied the broken-liearted youth, " I shall shortly follow 
you: for indeed I feel that I cannot live long." And so it happened to him. 
For on seeing his father m the hands of the executioner, and Uien struggling in 
the halter, he stood like one transfixed and motionless with horror. Till then 
he had wept incessantly ; but soon as he saw that sight, the fountain of his tears 
was staunched, and he never wept more. It was thougiit that grief, like a fever, 
burnt inwardl)'', and scorched his brain, for he became indifferent to every thing 
around him, and often wandered as one disordered in his mind. At times, he 
took lessons from a fencing master, and talked of going to England to fight the 
murderer of his fatlicr. But he who made him had pity on him, and sent death 
to his relief. lie died insane, and in his last moments often called on the nojns 
of his father, in terms that brought tears from the hardest hearts." 



206 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

' His preparations for returning could not escape notice. 
A neighboring inhabitant, hostile to the American cause, 
had attentively observed his motions, and announced his 
design to the commander of the British fort; observing, 
that, if he seized the present moment, he might make Gen- 
eral Wadsworth a prisoner; that he was defenceless, hav- 
ing only six soldiers under his command; that he would 
speedily leave the country; and that the least delay would 
frustrate this important object. The British commander 
listened eagerly to the intelligence ; and immediately sent 
a party of twenty-five soldiers, with their officers, to attack 
the house in which he lodged. They embarked in a small 
schooner, already equipped for a cruise ; and proceeded to 
an inlet, four miles from the General's quarters, called 
West South Eiver. Here they arrived at the beginning of 
the evening; and laj^ concealed until 11 o'clock, in the 
house of one Snow, a Methodist preacher ; professedly a 
friend to General Wadsworth, but really a traitor. The 
ground was covered with snow, and the weather severely 
cold. The surface, in the neighborhood of the house, was 
hilly. An enemy could therefore advance within a few 
rods without being discovered. For this reason the senti- 
nel at the door was regularly ordered to fire his piece at 
the appearance of an enemy, and to escape without at- 
tempting to enter the house; as any effort of this nature 
would enable the enemy to enter at the same time. 

' The party came so suddenly upon the sentinel, that he 
gave the alarm, instead of firing, by crying, "Who is 
tliere?'' His comrades instantly opened the door; and as 
he went in, the enemy fired a volley into the kitchen, 
which was the soldier's guard-room, and entered it togeth- 
er with the sentinel. Another party of them at the same 
instant fired through the windows of the room, in which 
the General and his lady slept, and blew the windows in. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 207 

A third, at the same moment, forced their way through the 
windows, and took possession of Miss Fenno's room. Thus 
they were masters of the whole house, except the room 
where the General lay, which was strongly harred. The 
British officers, finding nohody in JMiss Fen no's room, be- 
side her and ]\Irs. Wadsworth, who hastily dressing her- 
self, had escaped into it, ordered the firing there to cease. 

^ General Wadsworth had a pair of pistols, a blunder- 
buss, and a fusee. With the pistols, which he had dis- 
charged several times, he had defended the windows of his 
room, and a door, which opened into the kitchen, and pre- 
vented the assailants from entering. He now heard their 
feet advancing through the front entry, and snapped his 
blunderbuss at them. They retreated. He snapped it 
again at several of the soldiers, who were forcing their 
way through the pannel of the kitchen door. These re- 
treated also. He then seized his' fusee, and discharged it 
upon some others, who were breaking through one of the 
windows. These also fled. The attack was then renew- 
ed through the entry. Against this he defended himself 
with his bayonet. His linen discovering him to the sol- 
diers in the kitchen, they fired at him; and one of their 
balls went through his left arm, and terminated the contest. 

' Upon his announcing that he would surrender, the 
firing was ordered to cease. The soldiers, however, con- 
tinued to fire from the kitchen. General Wadsworth, un- 
barring the door, and opening it, said, '•' My brave fellows, 
Vviiy do you fire after I have surrendered?" The soldiers 
rushed into his room ; and one of them, who had been bad- 
ly wounded, exclaimed with an oath, "You have taken my 
life, and I will take yours," pointed a musket at his breast. 
The commanding officer, who had entered the room 
through the other door at that moment, struck the musket 
with his sword, and saved the General's life. One of the 



208 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

officers now brought a candle from Miss Fenno's room ; and 
exclaimed, " Sir, you have defended yourself too well ; you 
have done too much for one man. You must excuse haste. 
Shall we help you on with your clothes? You see, we are 
in a critical situation." The soldiers were ordered out to 
parade before the door. The General's clothes were soon 
put on, except his coat; which his wounded arm rendering 
it impossible for him to wear, it was committed to a sol- 
dier. Mrs. Wadsworth and Miss Fenno came into the 
room ; and, suppressing their intense emotions with admi- 
rable fortitude, proposed to examine the General's wound. 
This, however, the haste of the party prevented. Pvlrs. 
Wadsworth threw a blanket over him ,• and Miss Fenno 
tied a handkerchief very closely around his arm, to check 
the copious effusion of blood. A soldier then took him out 
of the house. He was much exhausted; and, supposing 
that the ball had cut an artery, told the officer, he would 
not carry him far. Fortunately, however, the blood, being 
congealed by the cold, and stayed by the bandage, ceased 
to flow ; and his strength and spirits speedily returned. 

' The party withdrew in great haste; and increased their 
expedition, in consequence of the report of a musket, fired 
at no great distance on the other side of the river. The 
two wounded British soldiers were mounted on a horse, ta- 
ken from General Wadsworth's barn. The General him- 
self, and a wounded American soldier, were on foot; but 
were aided in their march by their captors. AV^hen they 
had proceeded about a mile, a number of persons, who had 
gathered at a small house on the way, and who had seen 
the party when they went out, hailed them ; and asked 
whether they had taken General Wadsworth. They said 
no: and added, that they wished to leave a wounded man 
with them; that, if they took good care of him, they should 
be well paid; but, if not, that they would come and burn 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 209 

their house. The wounded man, apparently dying, was 
then carried into the house; and General Wadsworth, af- 
ter being warned, that his safety depended upon his silence, 
was set on the horse behind the other wounded soldier. A 
part of their course lay over a frozen mill-pond, about a 
mile in length. At the head of this pond they were met by 
some of the party, who had been left behind, to take care of 
the Methodist preacher's house. These, having learned 
the success of the enterprise, hurried back to the privateer, 
to carry the news. When the party reached the privateer, 
some were overjoyed, and others swore bitterly. The Cap- 
tain, particularly, was in a rage, on being informed that h^ 
must return with his privateer to the fortj and, instead of 
sending the prisoner by a small boat, as had been original- 
ly proposed, must convey him in his vessel. Seeing some 
of his men wounded, he demanded with a furious voice, 
how he, the General, dared to fire on the King's troops; 
damned him for a rebel; and ordered him to go, and help 
launch the boat; declaring, that, if he did not, he would put 
his hanger through his body. General Wadsworth cobly 
answered, that he was a prisoner; was badly wounded; and 
could not assist in launching the boat ; however he might 
think proper to treat him. 

' The commanding officer had gone into the house, to 
take some refreshment; but hearing of this abusive beha- 
vior of the Captain, returned immediately; and, in a man- 
ner very honorable to himself, told the Captain, that the 
prisoner was a gentleman, had made a brave defence, and 
was to be treated accordingly. At the same time he inform- 
ed him, that he must return with his privateer to Bagaduce; 
(the point on which the British fort stood ;) both on account 
of the prisoner, and of his own wounded men; and must 
therefore embark his own people, and the party, immedi- 
ately. He added further, that his conduct should be repre- 



210 AMERICAN KEYOLUTION. 

sented to General Campbell as soon as he arrived. The 
poor Captain, thunder-struck with this denunciation, lost 
his importance in a moment. The men were embarked; 
the stern of the boat was given to the General ; and, after 
they had gone on board, the best cabin, and the most com- 
fortable things which the vessel could afford. 

' The General's arm was now benumbed, rather than 
painful. The vessel was soon under weigh; and a cold 
northern wind drove her with such violence, as seriously 
to incommode General W., and his fellow sufferers. 

' I will now return to the ladies, who were left behind in 
their desolated house. Not a window in tins habitation es- 
caped the destruction. The doors were broken down; and 
two of the rooms were set on fire. The floors were drench- 
ed with blood; and on one of them lay a brave old soldier, 
(through whose arm, near the shoulder joint, had been dri- 
ven the whole charge of a musket; consisting of a wad. 
powder, and ball.) begging for death, that he might be re- 
lieved from his misery. To add to the sufferings of tliese 
unfortunate ladies, a number of the neighboring inhabi- 
tants, having heard of the disaster, flocked in, and filled the,, 
house. Here they did nothing but gaze about with an idk^ 
curiosity, or make useless, numerous, and very trouble- 
some, inquiries. Scarcely any thing could be more weari- 
some, or more provoking. At length the ladies assumed 
resolution enough to reprove them with some severity; and 
thus restored them from the stupor, produced by these no- 
vel and disastrous events, to thought, feeling, and exertion. 
As soon as they had fairly recovered themselves, they very 
cordially, and kindly united their efforts to render the best 
offices in their power. The next morning they repaired 
the doors and windows; cleansed the floors; dressed the 
wounded man in the best manner in their power; and plac- 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 211 

ed the family in as comfortable circunistaiices, as the case 
would admit. 

' You will casih^ believe, that the solicitude of both Gen- 
eral Wadsworth and the ladies, particularly of Mrs. Wads- 
worth, was extreme. What an affectionate wife must feel 
for a husband, situated as he was, nothing but the experi- 
ence of such a wife, in such circumstances, could enable 
even the female heart to realize. To all his other distres- 
ses was added, in the mind of the General, the most excru- 
ciating anxiety concerning his little son ; a boy of five years 
old. This child, and a sister younger than himself, slept 
with a maid in the bed-room; directly in the range of the 
enemy's first discharge into the kitchen. As the General 
was leaving the door, after he had been made a prisoner, 
the maid came to it with the younger child; but he could 
not recollect that he had seen his son, after the onset. This, 
he thought, could scarcely have happened, unless the child 
had bjen killed. 

' Near the close of the day the privateer approached the 
place of her destination. The signal of success was made; 
the capture of General Wadsworth announced; and the 
shore thronged with spectators, to see the man who, through 
the preceding year, had disappointed all the designs of the 
British in this quarter. They were composed of Britons, 
and American refugees, of every class. David has often 
deprecated in the most pathetic manner the triumph of his 
enemies. General Wadsworth was now furnished with an 
o])portunity of realising the import of the language, and 
entering deeply into the feelings of the Psalmist. 

* The General left the privateer amid loud shouts of the 
rabble, which covered the shore ; and was conducted to the 
house of a very respectable refugee, until a report concern- 
ing the success of the expedition should be made to Gen- 



212 AMERICAN KEVOLUTION. 

eral Campbell, the commandant of the post, and his orders 
should be received. 

' A guard soon came, with orders to bring the prisoner 
to the guard-room, within the fort, which was about half a 
mile from the landing. A guard, even of an enemy, was 
to him a very desirable accompaniment at the present time ; 
for among those who were around him, there were many 
persons, from whom, in these circumstances, he had noth- 
ing to expect but abuse. When he arrived at the fort, he 
was conducted into the officers' guard-room, and was treat- 
ed with politeness. Soon after. General Campbell sent a 
messenger to General Wadsworth with his compliments; 
informing him that his situation should be made as com- 
fortable as it could be; and that a surgeon should attend 
him immediately, to dress his wound. The surgeon soon 
came, and upon examination found the joint of the elbow 
uninjured, and pronounced the wound to be free from dan- 
ger, if the artery was unhurt. This, he said, could not be 
determined, until a suppuration had taken place. After the 
wound had been dressed, and supper served. General Wads- 
worth retired to rest. In the morning the Commandant 
sent an invitation to him to breakfast with him ; and at table 
paid him very handsome compliments on the defence 
which he had made, observing, however, that he had ex- 
posed himself in a degree not perfectly justifiable. His 
guest replied, that from the manner of the attack, he had 
no reason to suspect any design of taking him alive ; and 
that he intended, therefore, to sell his life as dearly as pos- 
sible. " These things," said General Campbell, " are very 
natural to gentlemen of our profession. But, Sir, I under- 
stand that the Captain of the privateer treated you very ill. 
I shall see that matter set right." He then informed his 
guest, that a room in the officers' barracks, within the fort, 
was prepared for him; and that he should send his orderly 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 213 

sergeant daily, to attend him to breakfast and dinner, at 
his table ; where a seat would always be reserved for him, 
whenever he chose to accept of it. This polite proffer was 
followed by other observations of the same general nature; 
after which General Wadsworth withdrew to his quarters. 

' He was now alone. He was a prisoner. The ardor of 
enterprise was over. He had no object to engage his atten- 
tion; no plan to pursue; no motive to excite an effort, or 
even to rouse a vigorous thought. The calm, sluggish 
course, became absolutely dead, when contrasted by his 
mind with the storm of war, which had just passed over. 
General Campbell, probably foreseeing that such must be 
his prisoner's situation, sent him in the course of the fore- 
noon several books of amusement; and then, calling upon 
him in person, endeavored by cheerful conversation to 
make the time pass agreeably. 

• Not long after, the officers of the party came in to in- 
quire concerning his situation; and, while they were pre- 
sent, appeared the redoubtable Captain of the privateer. 
He told General Wadsworth, that he called to ask pardon 
for what had fallen from him, when in a passion ; that it 
was not in his nature to treat a gentleman prisoner ill; that 
the unexpected disappointment of his cruise had thrown 
him off his guard; and that he hoped that this would be 
deemed a sufficient apology. General Wadsworth accept- 
ed it; and his visitors withdrew. Neither books, nor com- 
pany, however, could prevent the forenoon from being te- 
dious and long. " Remembrance," in spite of amusement, 
would " wake with all her busy train." Anticipation, some- 
times her very restless and intrusive companion, would 
present melancholy pictures; and whisper prophecies of 
suffering and sorrow. About four o'clock, P. M., the or- 
derly sergeant, presenting the compliments of the Com- 
mandant, summoned General Wadsworth to dinner. He 



214 AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 

accepted the invitation, notwithstanding his sufferings,' and, 
particularly, as he had a wish to see the guests. They 
were numerous; and consisted of all the principal ofRcers 
of the garrison. Their conversation was evidently guard- 
ed, but delicate; and particularly polite to the stranger. 
His arm, however, began to be painful; and having satisfi- 
ed his curiosity, he respectfully withdrew. 

"The first object, which now seriously engaged his at- 
tention, was to obtain some knowledge concerning the sit- 
uation of his wife and family, and to communicate his own 
to them. For this purpose he wrote, the next morning, a 
billet to the Commandant; requesting, that a flag of truce 
might be sent to a militia officer in Camden ; a town on the 
south-western skirt of Penobscot bay, not far distant from 
Bagaduce; with a letter to the Governor of Massachusetts, 
and another to Mrs. Wadsworth. The request was imme- 
diately granted, on the condition, that the letter to the Go- 
vernor should be inspected. To this General Wadsworth 
made no objection. The letter contained nothing, but an 
account of his own situation, a request, that an exchange 
might be speedily effected in his favor; and an exhibition 
of the obliging manner in which he had been treated, since 
he had been made a prisoner. The letter mus perfectly 
acceptable to the British commander. 

• The flag was given to Lieutenant Stockton ; the officer 
by whom General Wadsworth had been taken prisoner. 
As soon as the weather permitted, he set out for Camden in 
a boat; and within a fortnight from the disastrous night 
mentioned above, returned with a letter from Mrs. Wads- 
worth. This letter to his great joy informed him, that his 
wife and family were in more comfortable circumstances 
than he had been prepared to imagine, and particularly, 
that his son was alive. The child had slept through the 



AMERICAN KEVOLTJTION. 215 

whole of that dreadful night; and knew nothing of the 
family sufferings, until the next morning. 

' This fortnight had heen a painful one to General Wads- 
worth. The increasing inflammation of his wound had 
confined him entirely to his room; and the sudden transi- 
tion from domestic happiness to a gloomy solitude, and from 
liberty to a prison, admitted of few consolations. General 
Campbell, continued his attention to him for some time. 
About half of the officers in the garrison called upon him 
as often as propriety permitted. Their conversation, in 
which political discussions were carefully avoided, was in- 
tentionally made as agreeable to him as might be. They 
also sent him in succession a variety of entertaining books. 
Upon the whole, the connexion formed between him and 
them became not only pleasant but interesting. 

• At the end of five weeks, his wound was so far healed, 
that he was able to go abroad. He then sent to General 
Campbell a note, requesting the customary privilege of a 
parole. The request was not granted. The reasons as- 
signed were, that it would be unsafe for General Wads- 
worth to expose himself to the hostility of the refugees, 
some of whom were his bitter enemies ; that the garrison 
might be endangered by the inspection of a military man; 
and, particularly, that General Campbell had reported his 
situation to the Commanding officer at New York, and 
must therefore receive his directions, before he made any 
alterations in the circumstances of the prisoner. These 
reasons had weight; and General Wadsworth acquiesced. 
At the same time he was permitted to take the air in plea- 
sant weather, by walking some time, every convenient 
day, on the parade within the fort, under the care of the 
officer of the guard. In these walks he was attended by 
two sentinels, and accompanied by some of the officers of 
the garrison. These little excursions were very favorable, 



216 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

both to his health and spirits. Upon the whole, to use his 
own language, his confinement became tolerable. 

'In about two months, when the mild season was ap- 
proaching, and began to relax the chains of winter, Mrs. 
Wadsworth, and Miss Fenno, under the protection of a 
passport from General Campbell, arrived at Bagaduce; 
and were conducted with much civility to his quarters. — 
General Campbell, and many of his officers, cheerfully con- 
tributed their efforts to render the visit agreeable to all 
concerned. It continued ten days. In the mean time an 
answer, or rather orders, had arrived from the command- 
ing general at New York. This General Wadsworth 
augured from the change of countenance in some of the 
officers. The import of the orders was intentionally con- 
cealed from Mrs. W. and Miss F. But Miss F. had acci- 
dentally learned their nature by a hint which fell from an 
officer, occasionally at the general's quarters, and indicated 
that he was not to be exchanged, but to be sent either to 
New York, or Halifax, or some other place in the British 
dominions. This information she carefully concealed, until 
the moment of her departure; when, to prevent Mrs. W. 
from suspecting her design, she barely said with a signifi- 
cant air, " General Wadsworth, take care of yourself." — 
The weather being fine, the ladies re-embarked; and with- 
out any serious misfortune landed the second day at Cam- 
den. 

'Soon after the departure of the ladies. General Wads- 
worth was informed, that a parole could not be given to 
him, because some of the refugees had communicated un- 
favorable information concerning him to the commander- 
in-chief at New York. From this time. General Campbell 
withheld his civilities. Other officers in the garrison, how- 
ever, visited him daily; treated him with polite attention; 
and beguiled by various amusements the tedious hours of 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 217 

his captivity. He learned from the servants who attended 
him, that he was not to be exchanged, but sent to England 
as a rebel of too much consequence to be safely trusted 
with his liberty. 

'Not long afterwards, about the middle of April, Major 
Benjamin Burton, an agreeable, brave, and worthy man, 
who had served under General Wadsworth the preceding 
summer, was taken, on his passage from Boston to St. 
George's river, the place of his residence; brought to the 
fort at Bagaduce; and lodged in the same room with Gen- 
eral Wadsworth. Burton confirmed the report of the ser- 
vants. He had learned from a source which he justly re- 
garded as authentic, that both himself and the general were 
to be sent, immediately after the return of a privateer, 
now out upon a cruise, either to New York or to Halifax; 
and thence to England. There they were to remain pris- 
oners until the close of the war; and were to be treated 
afterwards as circumstances should direct. This intelli- 
gence, thus confirmed, explained at once the monitory cau- 
tion of Miss Fenno; and perfectly exhibited to General 
Wadsworth the importance of taking care of himself. 

'The gentlemen were not long in determining, that they 
would not cross the Atlantic as prisoners. They resolved, 
that they would effect their escape, or perish in the attempt. 
When an enterprise, bordering on desperation, is reso- 
lutely undertaken, the means of accomplishing it are rarely 
wanted. 

'It must, however, be admitted, that scarcely any circum- 
stances could promise less than theirs. They were con- 
fined in a grated room, in the officer's barracks, within the 
fort. The walls of this fortress, exclusively of the depth 
of the ditch surrounding it, were twenty feet high; with 
fraising on the top, and chevaux-de-frise at the bottom. — 
Two sentinels were always in the entry ; and their door, 



218 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

the upper part of which was a window-sash, might be 
opened by these watchmen, whenever they thought proper ; 
and was actually opened at seasons of peculiar darkness 
and silence. At the exterior doors of the entries sentinels 
were also stationed; as were others in the body of the fort, 
and at the quarters of General Campbell. At the guard- 
house a strong guard was daily mounted. Several senti- 
nels were daily stationed on the walls of the fort; and a 
complete line occupied them by night. Without the ditch, 
glacis, and abattis, another complete set of soldiers patrol- 
led through the night also. The gate of the fort was shut 
at sunset; and a j)iqnet guard was placed on, or near the 
isthmus, leading from the fort to the main land. 

' Bagaduce, on the middle of which the fort stands, is a 
peninsula, about a mile and a half in length, and a mile in 
breadth; washed by Penobscot bay on the south, Bagaduce, 
river on the east, on the north-west by a broad cove, and 
throughout the remainder of the circle by the bay and 
river of Penobscot. A sandy beach, however, connects it 
with the main land on the western side. From these facts 
the difficulties of making an escape may be imperfectly 
imagined. Indeed, nothing but the melancholy prospect of 
a deplorable captivity in the hands of an enemy, exaspe- 
rated by a long and tedious war, carried on against those 
who were deemed rebels, could have induced the prisoners 
to take this resolution. 

*Not long after, a cartel arrived from Boston, bringing 
letters from the governor and council to General Wads- 
worth, with a proposal for his exchange, and a sum of 
money, &c. for his use. These were carefully delivered 
to him ; but the exchange being, as General Campbell said, 
not authorised, he refused to liberate the prisoners. This 
determination they had expected. 

^Several plans were ])roposed by the gentlemen for their 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 219 

escape; and successively rejected. At length they resolved 

on the following. The room in which they were confined 

was ceiled with boards. One of these they determined to 

cut otT, so as to make a hole sufficiently large for a man to 

go through. After having passed through this hole, they 

proposed to creep along one of the joists, under which 

I these boards were nailed, and thus to pass over the officers" 

' rooms bordering on it, until they should come to the next, 

or middle entry; and then to lower themselves dow^n into 

this entry by a blanket which they proposed to carry with 

j them. If they should be discovered, they proposed to act 

' the character of officers, belonging to the garrison, intoxi- 

I cated. These being objects to which the sentinels were 

I familiarized, thej^ hoped in this disguise to escape detection. 

I If they should not be discovered, the passage to the walls 

I of the fort was easy. Thence they intended to leap into 

I the ditch ; and if they escaped without serious injury from 

the fall, to make the best of their way to the cove; on the 

surface of whose water they meant to leave their hats 

floating, (if they should be closely pursued,) to attract the 

fire of the enemy; while they v\-ere softly aud silently 

making their escape. 

'Such was their original plan. Accordingly, after the 
prisoners had been seen by the sentinel, looking through 
the glass of the door, to have gone to bed, General Wads- 
worth got up, the room being dark ; and, standing in a chair, 
attempted to cut with his knife the intended opening; but 
he found the attempt useless and hazardous. It was use- 
less, because the labor was too great to be accomplished 
with the necessary expedition. It was hazardous, because 
the noise made by the strokes of the knife, could not fail, 
amid the profound silence, of being heard by the sentinel : 
and because the next morning must bring on an unpleas- 
ant detection. This part of the design was, therefore, 
given up. 



220 ' AMERICAN REVOLUTION. . 

' The next day, a soldier, who was their barber, was re- 
quested to procure a large gimblet, and bring it with him, 
when he came the next time to dress General Wadsworth. 
This he promised and performed, without a suspicion that 
it was intended for any thing more than amusement. He 
received a dollar for this piece of civility; and was suffi- 
ciently careful not to disclose a secret, which might create 
trouble for himself. 

^ The prisoners waited with anxiety for the arrival of 
the succeeding night. To their surprise, the noise made 
by the gimblet was such as to alarm their apprehensions, 
and induce them again to desist. They were, however, 
not discouraged; but determined to make the experiment 
again during the day, when they hoped the noise would 
either not be heard at all, or would attract no notice. The 
eyes of the sentinels were now to be eluded ; for the opera- 
tion must in this case be performed at times, when they 
might very naturally be employed in inspecting the room. 
It was necessary, also, to escape the observation of their 
servants, who often came in without any warning; and that 
of the officers, who were accustomed to visit them at almost 
all times of the day. But on these difficulties their perse- 
vering minds dwelt, only for the purpose of overcoming 
them. The two sentinels, who guarded the prisoners, com- 
monly walked through the entry, one after the other, from 
the front of the building to the rear. This distance was 
exactly the breadth of two rooms. After they had begun 
their walk, the prisoners watched them with attention, un- 
til they acquired a complete comprehension of the length 
of the intervals between the moments, at which the senti- 
nels successively passed their door. The prisoners then 
began to walk within their room, at the same pace with that 
of the watchmen; the sound of their feet being mutually 
heard; and all passing by the glass door the same way, at 
the same time. The prisoners in this manner took two 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 221 

turns across the room, while a sentinel took one through 
the entry. This difTercnce of time gave them all the 
opportunities, which they enjoyed, for using their gimblet. 

' General Wadsworth being of the middle stature, could, 
while standing on the floor, only reach the ceiling with the 
ends of his fingers. But Major Burton was very tall, and 
could reach it conveniently; so as to use the gimblet with- 
out the aid of a chair. This was a very fortunate circum- 
stance ; as it saved appearances, and not improbably pre- 
vented the discovery to which they were exposed from so 
many sources. Accordingly, whilst the garrison was under 
arms on the parade, and their servants were purposely 
sent away on errands, the gentlemen began their walk, 
and passed by the glass door with the sentinels. General 
Wadsworth then walked on; but Major Burton, stopping 
short in the proper spot, perforated the ceiling with his 
gimblet, in suflicicnt season to join General Wadsworth on 
his return. Again they passed the door, and returned, as 
if by mere accident, when the ceiling was in the same man- 
ner perforated again. This process was repeated until a 
sufficient number of holes were bored. The interstices 
in the mean time were cut through with a pen-knife; the 
wounds in the ceiling, which were small, being carefully 
covered with a paste of chewed bread, almost of the same 
color with that of the board. The dust, made by the gim- 
blet, was also carefully swept from the floor. In this man- 
ner they completely avoided suspicion, either from the sen- 
tinels, the servants, or the gentlemen by whom they were 
visited. In the course of three weeks a board was entirely 
cut asunder, except a small part at each corner, which was 
left for the purpose of holding the severed piece in its proper 
place, lest some accident should open the passage prema- 
turely. 

'During all this time the prisoners had watched every 

thing, which related to the return of the privateer, in which 



222 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

they were to be embarked. They had, also, made every 
unsuspicious inquiry in their power, while occasionally 
conversing with their visitors, and with the servants, con- 
cerning the situation of the exterior part of the fort; the 
ditch, the position of the chevaux-de-frise,the fraising, the 
posting of the outer sentinels, and piquet-guard. The 
scraps of information, which were obtained in this cautious 
manner. General Wadsworth, who was tolerably well ac- 
quainted with the place, was able to put together in such a 
manner as to form a complete view of the whole ground; 
to fix with precision the place where they should attempt 
to cross the wall ; where, if separated by accident, they 
should meet again; and to determine on several other ob- 
jects of the same general nature. Major Burton, whose 
first acquaintance with Bagaduce commenced when he was 
landed as a prisoner, was less able to form correct views 
concerning these subjects; and labored, therefore, under 
disadvantages, which might prove serious. 

^ The privateer was now daily expected. It is hardly 
necessary to observe that the prisoners regarded the mo- 
ment of her approach with extreme anxiety. They wished 
for a dark and boisterous night, to conceal their attempt, 
and to escape from the observation of their guard; but de- 
termined that if such an opportunity should not be fur- 
nished before the return of the privateer, to seize the best 
time which should occur. A part of the meat, supplied for 
their daily meals, they laid up and dried, and preserved 
the crust of their bread, to sustain them on their projected 
excursion. They also made, each a large skewer of strong 
wood; with which they intended to fasten the corner of a 
large bed-blanket to one of the stakes in the fraising, on the 
top of the wall; in order to let themselves down more easily 
into the ditch. 

'When their preparations were finished, a whole week 
-elapsed without a single favorable night. Their anxiety 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 223 

became intense. The weather became warm; and the 
butter which had been accidentally attached to some of the 
bread, employed as paste to cover the holes in the ceiling, 
spread along the neighboring parts of the board, and dis- 
colored them to a considerable extent. This fact alarmed 
them not a little; particularly when their visitors were now 
I and then gazing around the room in which they were con- 
fined. Nor were their apprehensions at all lessened by 
I several incidental expressions of some British officers, 
which to the jealous minds of the prisoners seemed to indi- 
I cate that their design was discovered. 

*0n the afternoon of June 18th the sky was overcast. — 

At the close of evening, thick clouds from the south brought 

( on an unusual darkness. The licrhtnins; be2;an to blaze with 

' intense splendor, and speedily became almost incessant. — 

j About eleven o'clock, the flashes ceased. The prisoners 

i sat till this time, apparently playing at cards, but really 

waiting the return of absolute darkness. Suddenly rain 

I began to descend in torrents. The darkness was profound. 

( The propitious moment for which they had so long waited 

I with extreme solicitude, had, as they believed, finally come, 

and more advantageously than could have been reasonably 

I expected. They, therefore, went immediately to bed; 

j while the sentinel was looking through the glass door; and 

extinguished their candles. 
I 'They then immediately rose, and dressed themselves. 
j General Wadsworth, standing in a chair, attempted to cut 
I the corner of the board which had been left to prevent the 

! severed piece from falling; but found that he made a slow 
progress. Major Burton then took the knife; and within 
somewhat less than an hour completed the intended open- 
j ing. The noise, attending this operation, was considerable ; 
] but was drowned by the rain upon the roof. Burton as- 
J cended first, and being a large man forced his way through 



224 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

along the joists till he reached the middle entry ; where he 
was to wait for his companion. The fowls which roosted 
above these rooms, gave notice of his passage by their 
cackling; but it was unheededj and perhaps unheard, by 
the sentinels. As soon as this noise ceased, General Wads- 
worth put his blanket through the hole, fastened it with 
a skewer, and attempted with this aid to make his way 
through the passage, standing in a chair below. But he 
found his arm weaker and of less service than he had ex- 
pected. He did not accomplish his design without extreme 
difficulty. But the urgency of the case reanimated his 
mind, invigorated his limbs, and enabled him, at length, to 
overcome every obstacle. The auspicious rain, in the mean 
time, roaring incessantly on the roof of the building, en- 
tirely concealed the noise, which he made during this part 
of his enterprise, and which in a common season must cer- 
tainly have betrayed him. 

' When the general had reached the middle entry, he 
could not find his companion. After searching for him 
several minutes in vain, he perceived the air blowing in 
through the door of the entry,- and concluded that Major 
Burton had already gone out, and left the door open. He 
therefore gave over the search, and proceeded to take care 
of himself After passing through the door he felt his 
way along the eastern side, the northern end, and a part of 
the western side of the building; walking directly under 
the sheet of water, which poured from the roof, that he 
might avoid impinging against any person accidentally in 
his way ; a misfortune to which he was entirely exposed by 
the extreme darkness of the night. 

' After he had reached the western side of the building, 
he made his way toward the neighboring wall of the fort, 
and attempted to climb the bank; but the ascent being 
steep, and the sand giving way, he found it impossible to 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 225 

reach the top. He then felt out an oblique path ; and as- 
cended to the top ; as from his window he had observed the 
soldiers do, when they went out to man the wall. After he 
had gained the top, he proceeded to the spot on the north 
bastion, where Burton and himself had agreed to cross the 
wall, if no accident should intervene. When he had ar- 
j rived at this place, and was endeavoring to discover the 
' sentry boxes, that he might creep between them, across 
the top of the wall, the guard-house door on the opposite 
. side of the fort was thrown open, and the sergeant of the 
; guard called, " Eelief, turn out." Instantly there was a 
' scrambling on the gorge of the bastion, opposite to that 
I where he now was. This scrambling he knew must be 
• made by Burton. The rain, in the mean time, kept the 
I sentinels within their boxes; and made such a noise on 
! them, that they could not hear that which was made by the 
I prisoners. In this critical moment no time was to be lost. 
The relief guard was approaching. General Wadsworth 
I made all haste, therefore, to get himself with his heavy 
' blanket across the parapet, upon the fraising, which was 
I on the exterior margin of the wall; a measure indispensa- 
I ble to prevent the relief from treading on him, as they came 
I round on the top of the wall j and he barely efFccted it du- 
ring the time in which the relief was shifting the senti- 
nels. At the same time he fastened with the skewer, the 
corner of his blanket round a picket of the fraising ; so 
tliat it might hang at the greatest length beneath him. — 
After the relief had passed on, the general with great dif- 
ficulty, arising particularly from the lameness of his arm, 
slid with his feet foremost off the ends of the pickets of the 
fraising; clinging with his arms and hands to the ends; 
thus bringing himself underneath the pickets, so as to get 
hold of the blanket, hanging below. Then he let himself 
down by the blanket until he reached the corner nearest 
v 2 



226 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

to the ground. From this he dropped, without injury, on 
the berme ; and within the chevaux-de frise, which lay on 
the berme. Leaving his blanket suspended from the frai- 
sing, he crept into the chevaux-de-frise, nearest to the spot, 
where he had descended ; and moved softly along to the 
next angle. Here he remained without noise or motion, 
until the relief, having gone round the walls, and out of the 
gate, to relieve the sentinels without the abattis, should 
have passed by. As soon as he had heard them pass, 
and before the sentinels had become accustomed to noises 
around them, he crept softly down into the ditch ; went 
out at the water course, between the sentry boxes; and 
descended the declivity of the hill, on which the fort stood, 
into the open field. Finding himself fairly without the 
fort, and without the line of sentries, and perceiving no 
evidence that he had been discovered,. he could scarcely 
persuade himself, that the whole adventure was not a 
dream; from which he might soon awake, and find himself 
still in his prison. 

-Both the rain and the darkness continued. He groped 
his way, therefore, among rocks, stumps, and brush, very 
leisurely, to an old guard-house on the shore of the back 
cove. This building had been agreed upon between the 
prisoners as their place of rendezvous, if any accident 
should separate them. After searching, and waiting, for 
his companion half an hour in vain, he proceeded onward 
to the cove. The time was happily that of low water. Here 
he drew off his shoes and stockings; took his hat from the 
skirt of his coat, to which hitherto it had been pinned; gird- 
ed up his clothes; and began to cross the water, which was 
about a mile in breadth. Fortunately he found it no where 
more than three feet in depth. Having safely arrived at 
the opposite shore, and put on his stockings and shoes, he 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 227 

found the rain beginning to abate, and the sky becoming 
less dark. Still he saw nothing of his companion. 

' It was now about two o'clock in the morning. General 
Wadsworth had left the fort a mile and a half behind him, 
aiid had perceived no noise which indicated that the enemy 
had discovered his escape. His own proper course now 
lay, for about a mile, up a very gently sloping acclivity jofi 
the summit of which was a road, formerly cut under his di- 
rection, for the purpose of moving heavy cannon. The 
whole ascent was overspread with trees blown down by the 
wind ; and to gain the summit cost him the labor of at least 
an hour. At length he reached the road; but after keep- 
mg it about half a mile, determined to betake himself to the 
woods, and make his way through them to the river. 
Here the day dawned ; and the rain abated. Here also he 
heard the reveille beat at the fort. He reached the eastern 
shore of the Penobscot, just below the lower Narrows, at 
sunrise, and found a small canoe at the very spot where he 
first came to the river. But he was afraid to cross it in 
this place, lest the inhabitants on the opposite shore, 
through fear of the enemy, or hostility to him, should car- 
ry him back to the fort; or lest their kindness, if they 
should be disposed to befriend him, should prove their ruin. 
He, therefore, made the best of his way up the river, at the 
foot of the bank, and kept as near as he could to the water's 
edge, that the flood tide, which was now running, might 
cover his steps, and prevent his course from being pursu- 
ed by blood-hounds, kept at the fort. In tliis manner, also, 
he escaped the notice of the inhabitants, living on the eas- 
tern bank of the river. 

' About seven o'clock in the morning the sun began to 
shine, and the sky became clear. At this time he had 
reached a place, just below the upper Narrows, seven 
miles from the fort. Here it was necessary for him to cross 



228 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

the river. At a small distance he perceived a salmon net 
stretched from a point, thickly covered with bushes, and a 
canoe lying on the shore. He therefore determined, after 
having cut a stout club, to lie by in the thicket, in order to 
rest himself, dry his clothes, and discover the persons who 
should come to take fish from the net ; that he misjht de- 
cide on the safety or danger of making himself known. In 
this situation, he had spent near an hour, and made con- 
siderable progress in drying his clothes; not, however, 
without frequently looking down the river to see whether 
his enemies were pursuing him; when to his unspeakable 
joy he saw his friend Burton advancing towards him in the 
track, which he had himself taken. The meeting was mu- 
tually rapturous ; and the more so, as each believed the 
other to have been lost. 

' Major Burton, after having passed through the hole in 
the ceiling, made his way directly into the second entry 
without interruption. As he had been able to escape from 
the ceiling, only by the assistance of General Wadsworth, 
he concluded, early, that his friend would be unable to 
make his way through the same passage, and rationally de- 
termining it to be better, that one should regain his liberty 
than that both should be confined in a British jail, made no 
stop to learn what had become of his companion. Passing 
out of the eastern door, (the same which Gen. Wadsworth 
had selected,) he entered the area of the fort, taking the 
most watchful care to avoid the sentry-boxes. The night 
was so intensely dark, that this was a matter of no small 
difficulty, Fortunatel)-, however, he avoided them all; and 
steered his course, providentially, to the north-eastern cur- 
tain. At the moment of his arrival the door of the guard- 
house was thrown open, and the relief ordered to turn out 
Burton heard the orders indistinctly, and supposed that 
himself, or 'General Wadsworth, (if he had been able to 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 229 

make liis way out of the barrack,) was discovered. He 
leaped therefore from the wall, and fell into the arms of a 
chevaux-frise, containing only four sets of pickets. Had 
there been six, as is sometimes the case, he must have fal- 
len upon the points of some of them, and been killed out- 
right. Perceiving that he was not injured by the fall, he 
flung himself into the ditch ; and passing through the abat- 
tis, Escaped into the open ground. As he had nO doubt, that 
either himself or General Wadsworth was discovered, and 
knew that in cither case he should be closely pursued, he 
used the utmost expedition. 

' It had been agreed by the prisoners, that if they should 
get out of the fort, and in this enterprise should be separat- 
ed from each other, they should direct their course by the 
wind. Unfortunately, the gale, which in the afternoon and 
early part of the evening, had blown from the south, shift- 
ed, without being observed by Burton, to the east. Of the 
region round about him, except so far as General Wads- 
worth had described it to him, he was absolutely ignorant. 
In these unfortunate circumstances, instead of taking the 
direction which he had intended, he pointed his course to- 
wards a piquet-guard kept near the isthmus; and came al- 
most upon a sentinel, before he discovered his danger. 
Happily, however, he perceived a man at a small distance 
in motion, and dropped softly upon the ground. [Major 
Burton dropped a glove in this spot, which being found m 
the morning, discovered thus far the course which he had 
pursued in making his escape.] The movements of the 
man soon convinced Burton that he was a sentinel, and that 
he belonged to the piquet. By various means the two 
friends had made themselves acquainted with the whole 
routine of the duty, performed by the garrison. Burton, 
therefore, from these circumstances discerned in a moment 
where he was, and determined to avail himself of the dis" 



*30 AlffiEICAN KEVOLUTION. 



covery. Accordingly, whenever the sentinel moved from 
h.m, he softly withdrew; and at length got clear of his disa- 
greeable neighbor. He then entered the water en the side 
01 the isthmus next to the river, with the hope ofbeina 
able to advance in it so far above the picket, as to land 
agam undiscovered. The undertaking proved very hazar- 
dous as well as very difficult. It was the time of low wa- 
ter. The rocks were numerous in his course; and the river 
between them was deep. A great quantity of sea-weed 
also eneumbered his progress. He swam, and climbed, and 
waded, alternately, for the space of an hour; and having 

1 ought would be sufficient to avoid the guard, betook him- 
self to the shore. Here, chilled with this long continued 
^Id bathmg, and excessively wearied by e..ertion, he be- 
gan hts course through the forest; directing himself, as 
«ell as he could, towards the path, which had been taken 
ST ucnerat •,; adsworth. After ^Talking several miles 
through the same obstructions which had so much embar- 
rassed h.s friend he reached it, and without any further 
trouble rejoined the General. 

'.Vfter their mutual congratulations, the two friends, as 
tJioy saw no persons appear, went down to the canoe ; and 
hnding in it a suit of oars, pushed it into the water. Bur- 
ton informed General Wadsworth, that a party of the ene- 
."3- ^vas in pursuit of them, and that their barge would soon 
come round the point below; and therefore proposed, that 
instead of crossmg the river directly, they should take an 
oblique course, by which they might avoid being discover- 
ed, ^ot long after the barge came in sigh,, moving mod- 
oratelyup the river, and distant from them atout a mile 
At this time the canoe was near half a mile from the eas- 
tern shore; but, being hidden by some bushes on another 
point, escaped the eyes of their pursuers. Just at the mo- 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 231 

ment the crew of the barge, having rested for a minute on 
their oars, tacked, and rowed to the eastern shore; when 
one of the men went up to a house standing on the bank. 
The two friends seeing this, plied their oars to the utmost; 
and when the barge put off again, had it in their power to 
reach the western shore without any possible obstruction. 

' As they approached a landing place, they saw a num- 
ber of people. To avoid an interview with these stran- 
gers, they changed their course, and landed on the north 
side of a creek, where they were entirely out of their reach, 
and safe from their suspicion. 

'After they had made fast the canoe, they steered their 
course directly into the wilderness; leaving the barge ad- 
vancing up the river, but appearing to have made no dis- 
covery. The prospect of a final escape was now verv 
hopeful ; but as there could be no safety in keeping the 
route along the shore, since they undoubtedly would be 
way-laid in many places, they determined to take a direct 
course through the forests, to avoid inhabitants, and pre- 
vent a pursuit. Accordingly, they steered towards the 
head of St. George's river. This they were enabled to do 
by the aid of a pocket compass, which Burton had fortu- 
nately retained in his possession. Their pockets supplied 
them with provisions, homely enough, indeed, but such as 
satisfied hunger, and such as success rendered delightful. 
Two showers fell upon them in the course of the day ; 
and the heat of the sun was at times intense. Their pas- 
sage, also, was often incommoded by the usual obstructions 
of an American forest; fallen trees, marshy grounds, and 
other inconveniences of the like nature. But, with all these 
difficulties, they traveled twenty-five miles by sunset. 

'At the approach of night, they made a fire with the aid 
of a flint, which Major Burton had in his pocket, and some 
punk, a substance formed by a partial decomposition of the 



232 AIVIEKICAN KEVOLUTION. 

heart of the maple tree; which easily catchesj and long re- 
tains, even the slightest spark. But, as they had no axe, 
and as they did not commence this business sufficiently 
early, the wood of which their fire was made, being of a 
bad quality, burnt ill; and was extinguished long before 
the morning arrived. The night was cold, notwithstand- 
ing the heat of the preceding day. Both extremes were 
equally injurious to the travelers; and increased not a lit- 
tle the lameness and soreness of their limbs. General 
Wadsworth sutfercd severely. He had been a long time 
in confinement, and had of course been prevented from 
taking any vigorous exercise. Ho was also possessed of a 
constitution, much less firm than that of his companion: 
and was much less accustomed to the hardships of travel- 
ing in a forest. For these reasons they made a slow pro- 
gress, during the morning of the second day. By degrees, 
however, the General began to recover strength, and be- 
fore evening they advanced, though not without much dif- 
ficulty, twelve or fifteen miles. The sufferings of the pre- 
ceding night effectually warned them to begin the employ- 
ment of collecting fuel in better season. They had, there- 
fore, a comfortable fire. Still, the latter part of the night 
was very cold and distressing. 

* On the third day General Wadsworth was so lame, and 
had sulTercd so much from this uncomfortable pilgrimage, 
that he was able to make very little progress. After many 
efforts, he proposed to stop in the wilderness, and wait for 
such relief, as his friend, proceeding onward to the near- 
est settlements, might be able to bring him. Major Burton 
cut the matter short by an absolute refusal to leave him 
behind, in circumstances so hazardous. At length they 
determined to refresh themselves with a little sleep, and 
then to re-commence their progress. This determination 
was a happy one; for they found their sleep, in the genial 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 233 

warmth of the day, in a high degree restorative and invigo- 
rating. They were able to travel with more and more 
ease; and were not a little animated with a consciousness, 
that their pilgrimage was drawing towards a close. About 
six, P. M., they discovered from an eminence the ascent of 
a smoke, and other signs of human habitations ; and soon, 
to their unspeakable joy, arrived at the place to which 
they had originally directed their course, — the Upper Set- 
tlements on the river St. George. 

' The inhabitants flocked about them with a joy scarcely 
inferior to theirs; and not only hailed them as friends long 
lost, but as men dropped from the clouds. Their surprise 
and their affection were equally intense; and their minds 
labored for modes, in which they might exhibit sufficient 
kindness to their guests. 

' At this friendly place they took horses, and accompani- 
ed by all the inhabitants, who were able to bear arms, pro- 
ceeded down the river, within three miles of the house, in 
which General "Wadsworth had been taken prisoner. Here 
they crossed the river, and took up their lodging on the 
other side in a very comfortable inn. Their company had 
by this time increased to thirty men. Half of this force 
General Wadsworth gave to his faithful friend, who was 
then distant only three miles from his own house ; a stone 
fort, anciently erected as a defence against the savages. It 
was naturally suspected by both gentlemen, that concealed 
parties of the enemy would lie in wait for them; and, if 
possible, carry them back again to their prison. Nor was 
the suspicion unfounded. Such a party actually way-laid 
]\Iajor Burton upon his return to his family ; and had he 
not been accompanied by this body of armed men, he would 
again have been taken. Finding themselves frustrated, 
the lurking party seized a trading vessel, lying in St. 
W 



"234 AJIERICAK REVOLUTION. 

George's river, and returning to Bagaduce carried the first 
information to the fort concerning the prisoners. 

' As to General Wadsworth, he was now in a settlement 
where he could not be attacked with any hope of success, un- 
less by a strong detachment of the enemy. He therefore 
continued at this hospitable inn until the next day but one. 
Then, having recovered one of his horses, and renewed his 
strength and spirits, he set out for Falmouth, (Portland,) 
where he hoped to find I\Irs. Wadsworth. Durino- the first 
day's journey he was accompanied by a small guard. From 
this time he was safe from the lurking parties of the ene- 
my; and proceeded to Falmouth as his own convenience 
permitted. 

' Mrs. Wadsworth and .Aliss Fenno had, however, sailed 
for Boston before his arrival. On their passage they were 
overtaken by a violent storm, and barely escaped ship- 
wreck. The vessel put into Portsmouth in distress; and 
neither of the ladies was acquainted with a sino-le inhabi- 
tant. They took lodgings, therefore, at an inn. When 
they had in some measure recovered themselves from the 
anxiety and distress, produced by the perilous situation 
from which they had just escaped, they found themselves 
in a new scene of trouble. I\Irs. Wadsworth had left all 
the specie in her possession with the General, when she 
visited him at Penobscot; and during her residence in the 
district of Maine, the Continental bills of credit had lost 
their currency. She was, therefore, without money, and 
without any known friends. After meditating for some 
time on various expedients to extricate herself and her 
friend from this embarrassment, not a little perplexing to a 
female mind, she recollected that she had seen at New Ha- 
ven in the year 1770, Mr. Buckminster, then a tutor in 
Yale College, and now one of the ministers of Portsmouth. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 235 

' From this gentleman the ladies, after having made him 
acquainted with their circumstances, received every assis- 
tance which they could wish. When they were ready to 
proceed on their journc}', he furnished a carriage to convey 
them to Newburyport. Here they met with the same friend- 
ly offices, and were supplied with the means of proceeding 
pleasantly to Boston ; where the distresses of both ]\Irs. 
Wadsworth and the General were speedily terminated by 
his arrival.' 



SECTION XXXV. 

FURTHER EVENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN— PREPARATIONS FOR 
THE SIEGE OF NEW YORK. 

It has already been related that, after defeating General 
Greene at Guildford, Lord Cornwallis marched to Peters- 
burgh, in Virginia. His lordship did not take this step 
without hesitation. He well knew the enterprising char- 
acter of his opponent, and was aware of the probability of 
his making an incursion into South Carolina. He flattered 
himself, however, that the forces which he had left in that 
province, under the command of Lord Rawdon would suf- 
fice to keep the enemy in check. In this idea he was con- 
firmed by the result of the battle of Camden, and by the 
receipt of intelligence that three British regiments, which 
had sailed from Cork, might be expected speedily to arrive 
at Charleston. No longer anxious, therefore, for the fate 
of South Carolina, he determined to march forward, in the 
confident hope of increasing his military renown by the 



Where was Cornwallis at this time? 
How did he flatter himself? 
Ui this idea how was he confirmed? 
What did he determine? 



236 AIVEERICAN REVOLUTION. 

conquest of Virginia. He accordingly advanced with ra- 
pidity from Petersburgh to ]\Ianchester, on James river, 
with a view of crossing over from that place to Eichmond, 
for the purpose of seizing a large quantity of stores and 
provisions, which had been deposited there by the Ameri- 
cans. But on his arrival at Manchester, he had the morti- 
fication to find that, on the day before, this depot had been 
removed by the ?.Iarquis de Lafayette, who, at the com- 
mand of congress, had hastened from the head of Elk to 
oppose him. Having crossed James river, at Westown, 
his lordship marched through Hanover county to the South 
Anna river, followed at a guarded distance by the marquis, 
who, in this critical contingency, finding his forces inferior 
to those of the enemy, wisely restrained the vivacity which 
is the usual characteristic of his age and country. But 
having effected a junction with General Wayne, wdiich 
brpught his numbers nearly to an equality with those of 
the British, and having once more, by a skilful maneuver, 
saved his stores, which had been removed to Albemarle 
old court house, he displayed so bold a front, that the Brit- 
ish commander fell back to Richmond, and thence to Wil- 
liamsburgh. On his arrival at the latter place. Lord Corn- 
wallis received despatches from Sir Henry Clinton, requir- 
ing him instantly to send from his army a detachment to 
the relief of New York, which was threatened with a com- 



Why did he proceed to Manchester? 

How was he disappointed? 

Whither then did he go? 

By whom was he followed? 

What did the marquis wisely do? 

By whom was the marquis joined? 

What was his situation now? 

By a skilful maneuver what had he done? 

Why did Cornwallis fall back to Williamsburgh? 

What despatches did he there receive? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 237 

bined attack by the French and the Americans. The con- 
sequent diminution of his force induced his lordship to cross 
James river, and to march in the direction of Portsmouth. 
Before, however, the reinforcements destined for New York 
had sailed, he received counter-orders and instructions from 
Sir Henry Clinton, in pursuance of which he conveyed his 
army, amounting to 7000 men, to Yorktown, which place 
he proceeded to fortify with the utmost skill and industry. 

The object of Lord Cornwallis in thus posting himself 
at Yorktown, was to co-operate in the subjugation of Vir- 
ginia with a fleet which he was led to expect would about 
this time proceed from the West Indies to the Chesapeake. 
Whilst his lordship was anxiously looking out for the Brit- 
ish penantSjhc had the mortification, on the 30th of August, 
to see the Count de Grasse sailing up the bay with twen- 
ty-eight sail of the line, three of which, accompanied by a 
proper number of frigates, were immediately despatched 
to block up York river. The French vessels had no sooner 
anchored, than they landed a force of 3200 men, who, un- 
der the command of the Marquis de St. Simon, effected a 
junction with the army of Lafayette, and took post at Wil- 
liamsburg. Soon after this operation, the hopes of the 
British were revived by the appearance off the Capes of 
Virginia, of Admiral Graves, with twenty sail of the line — 
a force which seemed to be competent to extricate Lord 

What other orders did Lord Cornwallis receive? 
Whither then did he go? 
What did he there do? 
What was the number of his army? 
What was his object in so doing? 
What occurred on the 30th of August? 
What was the force which the French landed? 
Under whose command were they? 
Where did Lafayette and the French force take post? 
What occurred soon after this? 
w 9 



238 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

Coriiwallis from his difficult position. These hopes, how- 
ever, proved delusive. On the 7th of September, M. de 
Grasse encountered the British fleet, and a distant fight 
took place, in which the French seemed to rely more on 
their maneuvering than on their valor. The reason of this 
was soon apparent. In the course of the night which fol- 
lowed the action, a squadron of eight line-of-battle ships 
safely passed the British, and joined De Grasse, in conse- 
quence of which accession of strength to the enemy, Admi- 
ral Graves thought it prudent to quit that part of the coast, 
and retire to New York. This impediment to their opera- 
tions having been removed, the Americans and French 
directed the whole of their united efforts to the capture of 
Yorktown. 

This had not, hovv'ever, been the original design of Gen- 
eral Washington at the commencement of the campaign. 
Early in the spring he had agreed with Count Rocliambeau 
to lay siege to New York, in concert with a French fleet 
which was expected to reach the neighborhood of Staten 
Island in the month of August. He had accordingly issued 
orders for considerable reinforcements, especially of mili- 
tia, to join his army in proper time to commence the pro- 
jected operations. The French troops under Rochambeau 
having arrived punctually at his encampment near Peeks- 
kill, General Washington advanced to King's Bridge, and 
hemmed in the British in York Island. Every preparation 
seemed to be now in forwardness for the commencement of 
the siege; but the militia came in tardily. The adjacent 
States were dilatory in sending in their quotas of troops ; 
and whilst he was impatiently awaiting their arrival Wash- 
ington had the mortification to receive intelligence that 

lu what way did the hopes of Lord Cornwallis prove delusive? 
To what did the Americans and French direct their whole force? 
Was tliis Washington's original design? What was? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 239 

Clinton had received a reinforcement of 3000 Germans. — 
Whilst his mind was agitated by disappointment, and cha- 
grined by that want of zeal on the part of the middle States 
which he apprehended could not but bring discredit on hia 
country, in the estimation of his allies, he was relieved 
from his distress by the news of the success of Greene in 
driving Lord Cornwallis into Yorktown; and at the same 
time learning that the destination of Count de Grasse was 
the Chesapeake, and not Staten Island, he resolved to trans- 
fer his operations to the State of Virginia. Still, however, 
he kept up an appearance of persevering in his original 
intention of making an attack upon New York, and in this 
feint he was aided by the circumstance, that when this was 
in reality his design, a letter, in which he had detailed his 
plans for its prosecution, had been intercepted, and read by 
Sir Henry Clinton. When, therefore, in the latter end of 
August, he broke up his encampment at Peekskill, and di- 
rected his march to the south, the British commander, ima- 
gining that this movement was only a stratagem calculated 
to throw hifti off his guard, and that the enemy would 
speedily return to take advantage of his expected negli- 
gence, remained in his quarters, and redoubled his exer- 
tions to strengthen his position. In consequence of this 
error, he lost the opportunity of impeding the march of 
the allied army, and of availing himself of the occasions 
which might have presented themselves of bringing it to 
action before it could effect a junction with the troops 
already assembled in the vicinity of Yorktown. Thus 
marching onwards without molestation. General Washings 



What brought about this state of things? 

What appearanr.c did he still^kecp up? 

How was he aided in this? 

What did Clinton imagine when Washington left Peekskill? 

What did he lose by this error? 



240 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

ton reached Williamsburg on the 14th of September, and 
immediately on his arrival, visiting the Count de Grasse 
on board his flagship, the Ville de Paris, settled with him 
the plan of their future operations. 



SECTION XXXVI. 

SIEGE OF YORKTOWN— SURRENDER OF LORD CORNWALLIS. 

In pursuance of this arrangement, the combined forces, 
to the amount of 12,000 men, assembled at Williamsburg, 
on the 25th of September; and on the 30th of the same 
month marched forward to invest Yorktown, whilst the 
French fleet, moving to the mouth of York river, cut off 
Lord Cornwallis from any communication with a friendly 
force by water. His lordship's garrison amounted to 7000 
men, and the place was strongly fortified. On the right it 
was secured by a marshy ravine, extending to such a dis- 
tance along the front of the defences as to leave them ac- 
cessible only to the extent of about 1500 yards. This 
space was defended by strong lines, beyond which, on the 
extreme left, were advanced a redoubt and a bastion, which 
enfiladed their approach to Gloucester Point, on the other 
side of York river, the channel of which is here narrowed 
to the breadth of a mile, which post was also sufiiciently 
garrisoned, and strongly fortified. Thus secured in his 
position. Lord Cornwallis beheld the approach of the enemy 



When did Washington reach WiUiamsburg? 
What did he do immediately on his arrival? 
What was settled? 

To what number did the combined forces amount? 
What did Washington do? What the fleet? 
What did the garrison of Lord Cornwallis amount to? 
How was the town fortified? 



AMERICAN EEVOLUTION. 241 

with firmness, especially as he had received despatches 
from Sir Henry Clinton, announcing his intention of send- 
ing 5000 men in a fleet of 23 ships of the line to his relief. 

The allied forces on their arrival from Williamsburg 
immediately commenced the investiture both of Yorktown 
and of C41oucester Point; and on the 10th of October they 
opened their batteries with such effect, that their shells, 
flying over the town, reached the shipping in the harbor, 
and set fire to the Charon frigate, and to a transport. On 
this inauspicious day, too. Lord Cornwallis received a com- 
munication from Sir Henry Clinton, conveying to him the 
unwelcome intelligence that he doubted whether it would 
be in his powder to send him the aid which he had prom- 
ised. 

On the follov/ing morning the enemy commenced their 
second parallel, and finding themselves, in this advanced 
position, severely annoyed by the bastion and redoubt 
which have been mentioned above, they resolved to storm 
them. The reduction of the former of these works was 
committed to the French, whilst the attack of the latter was 
intrusted to the Americans.* Both parties rushing to the 

* The Marquis dc Lafayette commanded tlie American detacliment of light 
infantry, against the redoubt on the extreme left of the British works; and the 
Baron de Viominel led tlie French grenadiers and chasseurs against the other, 
which was fartlier toward the British right, and nearer the French lines. On 
the evening of the 14tli, the two detachments moved firmly to the assault. — 
Colonel Hamilton led the advanced corps of the Americans; and Colonel Lau- 
rens, at the head of 80 men, turned the redoubt, in order to take the garrison in 
reverse, and intercept their retreat. The troops rushed to the assault with 
unloaded arms, and in a few minutes carried tlie redoubt with inconsiderable 



How did Cornwallis behold their approach? 
When were the batteries opened? 
What intelligence did Lord Cornwallis receive? 
On the following day what was commenced? 
Describe the assault made on the next morning, 



242 A3IEKICA^' KEVOLUTIOX. 

assault with the spirit of emulation which this arrangement 
was calculated to inspire, the works in question were speed- 
ily carried at the point of the bayonet. 

It must be mentioned to the honor of the American sol- 
diers, that though in revenge for a massacre recently com- 
mitted at New London, in Connecticut, by a body of troops 
under the command of the renegade Arnold,* they had been 

loss.l The French were also successful. The reloubt assigned to ttem wa? 
«)on carried, but with less rapidity and greater loss.2 These two redoubts 
were included the same night in the second parallel, and facilitated the subse- 
quent operations of the besi^ers. 

* Sir Henry Clinton "giving to the traitor Arnold, who had just returncil 
from Virginia, the command of a strong detachment, he sent him against Xcw- 
London, a flourishing city situated upon the river Thames, in his native state. 
Xearly opposite, on a hill in Groton, stood Fort Griswold, which was then gar- 
risoned by militia, hastily summoned from their labors in the field. Against this 
fort Arnold despatched a part of his troops. It was assaulted on three sides 
at the same moment. The garrison, fighting in view of their property and 
their homes, made a brave and obstinate resistance. By their steady and well 
directed fire, many of the asailants were killed. Pressing forward with perse- 
vering ardor, the enemy entered the fort through the embrazures. Immedi- 
ately all resistance ceased. Irritated by gallantry whicli should have caused 
admiration, a British officer inquired who commanded the fort. " I did," said 
Colonel Ledyard, " but you do now," and presented him las sword. He seized 
it, and with savage cruelty plunged it into his bosom. This was the signal for 
an indiscriminate massacre. Of one hundred and sixty men, composing the 
garrison, all but forty were killed or wounded, and most of them alter resist- 
ance had ceased. Seldom has the glory of victory been tarnished by such de- 
testable barbarity. The enemy then entered New-London, which was set on 
fire and consumed. The property destroyed was of immense value. Perceiv- 
ing no other object within the reach of his force, Arnold led back his troops to 
New-York.*' 

1 One sergeant and 8 privates were killed; and 1 lieutenant-colonel, 4 cap- 
tains, 1 subaltern, 1 sergeant, and 25 rank and file, wounded. There was no 
retaliation of the recent carnage at Fort Griswold. The assailants killed not a 
man, except in action. " Incapable of imitating examples of barbarity, and for- 
getting recent provocation, the soldiery spared every man that ceased to resist." 

2 The loss, in killed and wounded, was nearly 100 men. 



What should be mentioned? 'VVby: 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 243 

ordered to take no prisoners, they foreborc to comply with 
this requisition, and when they had penetrated into the re- 
doubt, spared every man who ceased to resist. On the 16th 
of October, a sally was made from the garrison, but with 
inditlerent success; and Lord Cornwallis was now convin- 
ced that he could avoid a surrender, only by etiecting his 
escape by Gloucester Point. Seeing himself therefore re- 
duced to the necessity of trying this desperate expedient, 
he prepared as many boats as he could procure, and on the 
night of the 16th of October attempted to convey his army 
over York river to the opposite promontory. But the ele- 
ments were adverse to his operations. The first division 
of his troops was disembarked in safety; but when the se- 
cond was on its passage, a storm of wind and rain arose, 
and drove it down the river. 

Though this second embarkation worked its way back to 
Yorktown on the morning of the 1 7th, Lord Cornwallis 
Mas convinced, however unwillingly, that protracted re- 
sistance was vain.* Xo aid appeared from Xew York — his 

* -On the morning; of the ITth, several new batieries were 0}>ened in the second 
parallel; and, in the judgment of Lord Cornwallis, as well as of his engineers, 
the place was no longer tenable. About ten in the forenoon, his lordship, in a 
letter to General Washington, requested that there might be a cessation of hos- 
tilities for 24 hours, and that commissioners might be appointed to digest terms 
of capitulation. The American general in his answer declared his ^ ardent de- 
sire to spare the fartlier effusion of blood, and his readiness to listen to such 
terms as were admissible:'' and granted a suspension of hostilities for two hours. 
The general propositions, stated by Lord Cornwallis for the basis of the pro- 
posed negotiation, being such as to lead to an opinion that tlie term.s of capitula- 
might without much difficulty be adjusted, the suspension of hostilities was pro- 
longed through the niglit. Commissioners were appointed the next day to di- 
gest into form, such articles as General Washington had drawn up and propo- 
sed to Lord Cornwallis; and early the next morning tlie American general sent 

On the 16ih whac was done? 

What desperate expedient was Cornwallis reduced to? 

What was the result? 



244 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

works were ruined — the fire from the enemy's batteries 
swept the town ; and sickness had diminished the effective 
force of the garrison. In these painful circumstances, noth- 

tliem to his lordsliip with a letter, expressing his expectation, that they 'O'euld 
be signed by eleven, and that the garrison would march out by two in the after- 
noon. Lord Cornwallis, submitting to a necessity absolutely inevitable, sur- 
rendered the posts of Yorktown and Gloucester Point with the garrison, and 
the shipping in the harbor with the seamen, to the land and naval officers of 
America and France. By the articles of capitulation, the officers were to retain 
their side arms and private property. The soldiers, accompanied by a due pro- 
portion of officers, were to remain in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania; 
and the officers, not required for this service, were to be allowed to go on parole 
to Europe, or to any maritime port, occupied by the English in America. The 
whole army merited great approbation; but the artillerists and engineers re- 
ceived the highest applause. Generals Du Portrall and Knox were each promo- 
ted to the rank of major-general; Lieutenant-Colonel Gouvion and Captain 
Rochefontaine were each advanced a grade by brevet. Generals Lincoln, de 
Lafayette, and Steuben, were particularly mentioned by the commander-in-chief 
in his orders the day after the capitulation; and Governor Nelson, who remained 
in the field during the siege, at the head of the militia of Virginia, and who ex- 
erted himself to furnish the army with supplies, was very honorably men- 
tioned. The Count de Rochambeau received the higliest acknowledgments; and 
several other French officers were named with distinction. Congress, on re- 
ceiving intelligence of this important victory, passed resolutions, returning 
the tlianks of the United States to the commander-in-chief, to the Count de Ro- 
chambeau, to the Count de Grasse, and to the officers of the different corps, and 
the men under them. It was also resolved, that a marble column should be 
erected at Yorktown with emblems of the alliance between the United States 
and his most Christian majesty, and inscribed with a succinct narrative of the 
surrender of the Earl Cornwallis. Washington, on this very joyful occasion, or- 
dered that those who were under arrest, should be pardoned and set at liberty, 
and closed his orders in the following pious and impressive manner: « Divine ser- 
vice shall be performed to-morrow in the different brigades and divisions. The 
commander-in-chief recommends, that all the troops that are not upon duty do 
assist at it with a serious deportment, and that sensibility of heart, v/hich the 
recollection of the surprising and particular interposition of divine Providence 
in our favor claims." 1 Congress resolved to go in solemn procession to the 
Dutch Lutheran Church, to return thanks to Almighty God for crowning the 
allied arms with success; and issued a proclamation, appointing the 13th day of 

Describe his situation on the 17th. 



AMERICAN DEVOLUTION. 245 

ing remained for him but to negotiate terms of capitulation. 
He accordingly sent a flag of truce, and having agreed to 
give up his troops as prisoners of war to Congress, and the 
naval force to France, he, on the 19th of October, marched 
out of his lines with folded colors ; and proceeding to a 
field at a short distance from the town, he surrendered to 
General Lincoln, with the same formalities which had been 
prescribed to that officer at Charleston, eighteen months 
before.* Another coincidence was remarked on this occa- 
sion. The capitulation under which Lord Cornwallis sur- 
rendered was drawn up by Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens, 
whose father had filled the office of President of Congress, 
and having been taken prisoner when on his voyage to 

December "as a day of general thanksgiving and prayer, on account of this 
sigi^gt -interposition of divine Providence."! 

1 «< The piety of a conqueror forms an immortal wreath, which will flourish 
when the laurel shall have withered. Timoleon, in reply to the eulogiums la- 
vished on him by the Syracusans, said, «' The gods had decreed to save Sicily : 
I thank them that they chose me to be the instrument of their goodness." 
Washington, with similar but more enlightened piety, uniformly ascribed his 
successes, and every propititous event, to the divine agency. In August, 1778, 
he remarked : " It is not a little pleasing, nor less wonderful to contemplate, 
that after two years maneuvering and undergoing the strangest vicissitudes, that 
perhaps ever attended any one contest since the creation, both armies are 
brought back to the very point they set out from, and the offending party in the 
beginning is now reduced to the use of the spade and pickaxe for defence. The 
liand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that lie must be worse 
than an infidel, who lacks faith, and more than wicked, who has not gratitude 
enough to acknowledge his obligations." In the case of Arnold's treachery, he 
observed ; » In no instance since the commencement of the war, has the inter- 
position of Providence appeared more remarkably conspicuous, than in the res- 
cue of the post and garrison of W^est Point." 

* " The army, witii the artillery, arms, accoutrements, military chest, and all 
public stores, were surrendered to General Washington ; the ships and seamen. 



What did he next do? 

What were the terms of surrender? 

By whom were they drawn up? What of his father? 

Describe the circumstances of the surrender? 

X 



246 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

Holland, in quality of ambassador from the United States 
to the Dutch republic, had been consigned, under a charge 
of high treason, to a rigorous custody in the Tower of Lon- 
don, of which fortress his lordship was constable. 

Had Lord Cornwallis been able to hold out five days lon- 
ger than he did, he might possibly have been relieved; for 
on the 24th of October, a British fleet, conveying an army 
of 7000 men, arrived off the Chesapeake; but finding that 
his lordship had already surrendered, this armament re- 
turned to New York and Sandy Hook. 



SECTION xxxvn. 

PROVISIONAL TREATY OF PEACE, 30th OF NOVEMBER, 1782. 

It was with reason that the Congress passed a vote of 
thanks to the captors of Yorktown, and that they went in 
procession, on the 24th of October, to celebrate the triumph 
of their arms, by expressing, in the solemnities of a reli- 

to the count de Grasse, The prisoners, exclusive of seamen, amounted to 7073; i 
of which number 5950 were rank and file. 

Garrison of York - - - - 3273 Sick and wounded 1933 
•' Gloucester - - 744 4017 

Fit for duty 4017 Total of rank and file 5950 

To the 7073 prisoners are to be added 6 commissioned and 28 non-commission- 
ed ofiicers and privates, taken prisoners in the two redoubts, and in the sortie 
made by the garrison. The loss sustained by the garrison during the siege, in 
killed, wounded, and missing, amounted to 552. The loss of the combined ar- 
my, in killed, was about 300. — The allied army, to which that of Lord Corn- 
wallis surrendered, has been estimated at 16000 men. The French amounted 
to 7000 , the continental troops, to about 5500 ; and the militia, to about 3500." 



Who was constable of the Tower of London? 

What armament appeared on the 24th? 

What was done by Congress on the 24th October? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 247 

gious service, their gratitude to Almighty God for this sig- 
nal success. The surrender of Lord Cornwallis was the 
virtual termination of the war. From this time forward, 
to the signature of the treaty of peace, the British were 
cooped up in New York, Charleston, and Savannah."^ From 
these posts they now and then, indeed, made excursions for 

* " Tlie military events of thia year were inconsiderable. Captain Ru- 
dolph and Lieutenant Smitli with 12 men, on the 19th of March, took a Bri- 
tish galley in Ashley river> mounting 12 guns beside swivels, and manned with 
43 seamen. Rudolph did not lose a man. After taking out such stores as he 
found on board the galley, he burned her, and returned to his place of embar- 
kation. After the reduction of Lord Cornwallis, the Pennsylvania line raarch- 
e<i to South Carolina, and this increase of force enabled General Greene to de- 
tach General Wayne with part of his army to Georgia. On the 21st of May, 
Colonel Brown having marched out in force from Savannah, General W^ayne, 
rapidly advancing from Ebenezer, got between him and the British garrison in 
Savannah ; attacked him at twelve o'clock at night ; and routed his whole par- 
ty. This action was fought about four miles to the southwest of Savannah, on 
tJie Ogechee road. The van guard of the Americans, consisting of 60 horse and 
40 infantry, was led on by Colonel White of the cavalry, and Captain Parker 
of the infantry, to a spirited charge, in which 40 of the enemy were killed or 
wounded, and about 20 taken prisoners. This advantage was gained by the 
use of the sword and bayonet. The Americans had only 5 privates killed, and 
2 wounded. 

On the 24th of June, General Wayne was violently attacked, at a plantation 
about five miles from Savannah, by a large body of Creek Indians, who at first 
drove his troops, and took two pieces of artillery ; but they were soon charged 
with great spirit, and completely routed. It was a smart action, in which they 
fought hand to hand with tomahawks, swords, and bayonets ; 14 Indians and 
2 white men were killed. Emistessigo, a famous Indian chief was among the 
slain. The royalists, coming out from Savannah to join the Indians, were dri- 
ven back by General Wayne ; who took one British standard, and 127 horses 
wicivvjucks. Of the continentals, five were killed, and eight wounded. In Ju- 
ly, the British evacuated Savannah ; and General Wayne soon after took pos- 
session of it. Peace was restored to Georgia, after having been four years in 
possession of the British. That state is supposed to have lost 1000 of its citi- 
zens, and 4000 slaves. 

A large party of the British being sent to Combahcc ferry to collect provi- 



•What places only did the British now hold? 
From these posts what did they occasionally dol 



248 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

the purpose of foraging and plunder; but being utterly 
unable to appear in force in the interior of the country, 
they found themselves incompetent to carry on any opera- 
tions calculated to promote the main object of the war, — 
the subjugation of the United States. Perseverance, how- 
ever, still seemed a virtue to the British cabinet. Imme- 
diately after the arrival of the intelligence of the capture 
by the Americans of a second British army, George III., 
declared, in a speech to parliament, ' that he should not an- 
swer the trust committed to the sovereign of a free people, 
if he consented to sacrifice, either to his own desire of 
peace, or to their temporary ease and relief, those essential 
rights and permanent interests, upon the maintenance and 
preservation of which the future strength and security of 

sions, Brin:adier General Gist was detached with about 300 infantry and cavalry 
to oppose them. He captured one of their schooners, and in a great measure 
frustrated their design. When the two parties were near each other, Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Laurens, who was in advance with a small party, fell in with a 
superior force, and while engaged with it, he received a mortal wound, and died 
in the field. Soon after. Captain Wilniot made an attack upon a party of Bri- 
tish on James Island, near Fort Johnson ; the captain and some of his men were 
killed, and the rest retreated. This was the last blood-shed in the American 
war. 

General Leslie with the loyalists evacuated South Carolina on the 14th of 
December, and on the 17th General Wayne with 5000 continental troops took 
possession of Charleston. 

On the departure of the British from Charleston, upwards of 800 slaves, who 
had been employed in the engineer department, were shipped off for the West 
Indies. It has been computed, that, during the war, the state of South Carolina 
was deprived of 25,000 negroes. ^ 

General Moultrie, at the conclusion of his Memoirs, pays an honorable tri- 
bute to the ladies of South Carolina and Georgia, " for their heroism in those 
dreadful and dangerous times whilst we were struggling for our liberties ;" 
and says, "that their conduct, during the war, contributed much to the inde- 
pendence of America." 



What seemed still virtue in the British Cabinet? 
What did the King declare in his speech? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 249 

the country must for ever depend.' When called upon in 
the House of Commons for an explanation of this vague and 
assuming language, Lord North avowed that it was the in- 
tention of ministers to carry on in North America ' a war 
of posts ;' and such was, at that moment,* the state of the 
house, that, in despite of the eloquence of Mr. Fox, who 
labored to demonstrate the absurdity of this new plan, a 
majority of 218 to 129 concurred in an address which was 
an echo of his Majesty's speech. But the loud murmurs of 
the people, groaning beneath the weight of taxation, and 
indignant under a sense of national misrule, at length pene- 
trated the walls of the senate-house. Early in the year 
1782, motion after motion was made in the House of Com- 
mons, expressive of the general wish for the termination 
of hostilities with the United States. The minister held 
out with obstinacy, though on each renewal of the debate, 
he saw his majority diminish ; till at length, on the 27th 
of February, on a motion of General Conway, expressly 
directed against the further prosecution of offensive war 
on the continent of North America, he was left in a minori- 
ty of nineteen. This victory was followed up by an ad- 
dress from the house to his Majesty, according to the tenor 
of General Conway's motion. To this address so equivo- 
cal an answer was returned by the crown, that the friends 
of pacification deemed it necessary to speak in still plainer 
terms ; and on the 4th of March, the House of Commons 
declared, that whosoever should advise his Majesty to any 
further prosecution of offensive war against the colonies of 

* Nov. 27th, 1781. 

What was the new plan, in the House of Commons? 
What motions wore made in the House of Commons? 
By wliom were loud murmurs made? On what account? 
What motion was made on Feb. 27th? By whom? 
How did tliis motion succeed? 
By what was it followed? 



285 'AMERICAN REVOLtTTION. 

North America should be considered as a public enemy. 
This was the deathblow to Lord North's administration. 
His lordship retired from office early in the month of 
March, and was succeeded by the Marquis of Rockingham, 
the efforts of whose ministry were as much and as cordial- 
ly directed to peace as those of Lord Shelburne's. On the 
death of the Marquis, which took place soon after he had 
assumed the reins of government, the Earl of Shelburne 
was called on to preside over his Majesty's councils, which, 
under his auspices, were directed to the great object of pa- 
cification. To this .all the parties interested were well in- 
clined. The English nation was weary of a civil war in 
which it had sustained so many discomfitures. The king 
of France, who had reluctantly consented to aid the infant 
Republic of North America, was mortified by the destruc- 
tion of the fleet of De Grasse, in the AVest Indies,* and 
found the expenses of the war press heavily on his finan- 

* » The British fleet in the West Indies, under admiral Sir George B. Rod- 
ney, on the 12tli of April gained a complete victory over the French fleet under 
the count de Grasse. The count fought on board the Ville de Paris to despe- 
ration, until he and two others were the only men left standing on the upper 
deck, when he consented to strike. This magnificent ship was the pride and 
glory of the French marine. It had been presented to Louis XV., by his capi- 
tal, at the time of the war of Canada, and had cost four million of livers. By 
this defeat and capture there fell into the hands of the English 36 chests of mo- 
ney, and the whole train of artillery intended for the attack on Jamaica."!. 

1 Botta, History American War, b. 14. " The French for near a century 
had not in any naval engagement been so completely worsted. Their fleet was 
little less than ruined." The number of their killed and wounded amounted 
to several thousands ; the loss of the British did not much exceed 1100." Ram- 
say. "Congress, at a subsequent period, tcstiiied their respect to the memory of 

To what was tliis a death-blow? 

Who succeeded Lord North? 

What was the character of his administration? 

On the death of the Marquis, who took his place? 

To what were all the parties inclined? 

What is said of the King of France? Spain? Batch? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 25 

ces. The Spaniards were disheartened by the failure of 
their efforts to repossess themselves of Gibraltar; and the 
Dutch were impatient under the suspension of their com- 
merce. Such being the feelings of the belligerents, the ne- 
gotiations for a peace between Great Britain and the United 
States were opened at Paris, by Mr. Fitzherbert and Mr. 
Oswald on the part of the former power, and by John 
Adams, Doctor Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, on 
behalf of the latter. These negotiations terminated in pro- 
visional articles of peace, which were signed on the 30th 
of November, 1782.* By this important instrument, the 
independence of the thirteen provinces was unreservedly 
acknowledged by his Britannic Majesty, who moreover con- 
ceded to them an unlimited ri2;ht of fishincr on the banks of 
Newfoundland and the river St. Lawrence, and all other 
places where they had been accustomed to fisli. All that 
the British plenipotentiaries could obtain for the American 
loyalists was, a provision that Congress should earnestly 
recommend to the legislatures of the respective States the 
most lenient consideration of their case, and a restitution of 
their confiscated property. 

the count dc Grasse, by granting a pension to four of his (laughters, who came 
to America in extreme po%'crty, after the ruin of their family in the French 
Revolution." Warren, iii. 33." 

* " On the 19th of April, peace was proclaimed in the American army by the 
commander-in-chief, precisely eight years from the day of the first effusion of 
blood at Lexington." 



Where were the negotiations for peace opened? 

By whom on tlic part of Great Britain? 

By whom on the part of the United States? 

At what time did these negotiations terminate? 

By this important instrument what was acknowledged? 

What provision was obtained for the American loyalists? 



252 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

SECTION XXXVIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Thus terminated the American Revolutionary war, — a 
war which might have been prevented by the timely con- 
cession of freedom from internal taxation, as imposed by 
the British parliament, and by an abstinence on the part of 
the crown from a violation in this important particular of 
chartered rights. The confidential letters of Doctor Frank- 
lin evince that it was with extreme reluctance the Ameri- 
can patriots adopted the measure of severing the colonies 
from the mother country. But when they had taken this 
decisive step, by the declaration of independence, they firm- 
ly resolved to abide by the consequences of their own act ; 
and, with the single exception of Georgia, never, even in 
the most distressful contingencies of the war, did any pub- 
lic body of the provinces shew any disposition to resume 
their allegiance to the king of Great Britain. Still, it may 
be a matter of doubt, if, when we consider the conduct of 
the inhabitants of the Jerseys, when Washington was fly- 
ing before General Howe, whether, had the British com- 
manders restrained their troops with the strictness of disci- 
pline, and exercised towards the American people the con- 
ciliatory spirit evinced in Canada by Sir Guy Carleton,the 
fervor of resistance might not have been abated and sub- 
dued. But civil wars are always conducted with cruelty 
and rancor. The Americans were treated by the British 
soldiery not as enemies entitled to the courtesies of war, 
but as rebels, whose lives and property lay at the mercy of 

In what way might the war have been prevented? 
What do the confidential letters of Doctor Franklin evince? 
After the declaration of independence how did the American patriots pro- 
secute the War? What state is excepted? 
What may be considered a matter of doubt? 
How were the Americans treated by the British soldiery ? 



AIVIERICAN REVOLUTION. 253 

the victors. Hence devastation marked the track of the 
invading forces, while the inhabitants found their truest 
safety in resistance, and their best shelter in the republi- 
can camp. Nor will he who reads with attention the min- 
ute details of this eventful contest be surprised, that the 
British ministry persevered in the war when success 
might have appeared to be hopeless. It is now well known 
that George III., revolted from the idea of concession to his, 
disobedient subjects, and was determined to put all to the 
hazard rather than acknowledge their independence. Lord 
North, at an early period of the war, had misgivings as to 
its ultimate success, but he had not firmness enough to give 
his sovereign unwelcome advice; whilst Lord George Ger- 
maine and the other ministers fully sympathised with the 
royal feelings, and entered heartily into the views of their 
master. They were apprised, from time to time, of the 
destitute condition of the American army, but living as they 
did in luxury, and familiarized as they were with the sel- 
fishness and venality of courts and political parties, they 
could not conceive the idea of men sacrificing health, pro- 
perty, and life, for their country's good. When Washing- 
ton was beaten in the field, such men imagined that the 
affairs of the Congress were desperate, and flattered them- 
selves that the great body of the colonists, wearied and dis- 
heartened by successive defeats, would be glad to accept the 
royal mercy, and to return to their allegiance. In these 
notions they were confirmed by the loyalists, who, giving 

What marked tlie track of the invading forces? 

From what idea did George tlie III., revolt? 

About what had Lord North misgivings? 

What is said of Lord Gerniaine and tlie other ministers? 

What could they not conceive? 

What did they imagine when Washington was beaten in the field? 

In wliatdid they flatter themselves? 



254 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

Utterance to their wishes, rather than stating the truth, af- 
forded the most incorrect representations of the feelings 
and temper of their countrymen. Some of these coming 
over to England were received with favor in high circles, 
and by their insinuations kept up to the last a fatal delu- 
sion. These individuals at length fell the victims of their 
own error. Traitors to their country, they lost their pro- 
l^erty by acts of confiscation, and while they lived on the 
bounty of the British crown, they had the mortification to 
see the country which they had deserted, rise to an exalted 
rank amongst the nations of the earth. 

It must also be admitted that the people of England sym- 
pathised with their Government up to a late period, in the 
feelings which prompted perseverance in this iniquitous 
war. Excessive loyalty to the crown ; a certain undefined 
appetite for military achievements ; resentment against the 
Americans for questioning British supremacy, strongly im- 
pressed the public mind, and rendered the war disgraceful- 
ly popular in many quarters. Such sentiments were fos- 
tered and encouraged by the accession of France, Spain, 
and Holland to the cause of her revolted States, and the 
prospect of naval victories. We may reasonably indulge 
the hope, that the lesson then, and during the French Re- 
volutionary war, taught by experience, and the subsequent 
improvement of the public mind, will prevent it from ever 
again joining its government in such a conspiracy against 
freedom and justice. 

When the ministers of the king of France incited their 
master to enter into an alliance with the revolted colonies, 



How were tliey confirmed in these notions? 
What is said of the people of England? 
How were these sentiments fostered? 
In what may we reasonably indulge the hope? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 255 

they did so under the idea that the separation of those pro- 
vinces from the parent State would ruin the resources of 
Great Britain. Events have proved how erroneous was 
their calculation. From her commercial intercourse with 
Independent America, Great Britain has derived more profit 
than she could have gained had her growth been stunted by 
the operation of restrictive laws. In a constitutional point 
of view, also, the disjunction of the thirteen provinces from 
the British empire will not be contemplated with any re- 
gret by those who are jealous of the influence of the crown, 
and who will reflect, that by the peace of 1782, it was de- 
prived of the appointment of a host of governors, lieuten- 
ant-governors, chief justices, and other officers, selected 
from the scions of powerful families, and protected from the 
consequences of the abuse of their trusts by the influence 
of those whose dependants they are. 



Note. — Some doubts having arisen as to whether the 
question which led to the separation of the colonies from 
the mother country was really confined to the point of tax- 
ation, and did not also involve the claim of Parliament to 
legislate generally for the colonies, the introduction into 
this note of a plain statement of the fact and the law may 
not be thought superfluous. 

It will be clearly seen by a reference to the preceding 
narrative, that in the lengthened discussions which were 
carried on prior to the breaking out of hostilities, the point 
at issue was the right of Parliament to tax the colonies, and 

Under what idea did the ministers of the king of France incite him to en- 
ter into an alliance with the colonies? 
What have events proven? 

From what has Great Britain derived more profit? 
What is said in regard to a constitutional point of view? 



26$ AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

not its general power of legislation for them. This power 
no one seems at that time to have thought of questioning 
for a moment; though all the colonies united in strenuously 
maintaining the exclusive right of taxing themselves, which 
they had enjoyed by charter and by constant usage. This 
was also the view of the subject uniformly taken by the 
parliamentary advocates of the American colonies; and had 
it not been deemed constitutionally sound, the colonies, 
jealous as they were of their political rights, would not 
have been content silently to acquiesce in it. ' I assert, 
(said Lord Chatham on the 17th December, 1765,) I assert 
the authority of this country over the colonies to be sove- 
reign and supreme, in every circumstance of government 
and legislation.' But he added, ' Taxation is no part of the 
governing or legislating power, — taxes are a voluntary 
grant of the people alone.' 

Such was then the undisputed theory and practice of the 
constitution, even as recognised by the colonies themselves. 

But it has been supposed that although, prior to the revo- 
lution, the colonies never questioned the supreme legisla- 
tive authority of the mother country, yet tliat parliament 
had by some act of its own divested itself of this authority. 
This, however, is not the case. On the contrary, the Act 
of 6 Geo. III. c. 12, commonly called the Declaratory Act, 
distinctly lays it down as the law of the reahn, 'that the 
King, Lords, and Commons in Parliament assembled, had, 
hath, and of full right ought to have, full power and au- 
thority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and 
validity to bind, in all cases whatsoever, the colonies subject 
to the British crown.' 

The Act remains unrepealed, and is still in full force, 
with one single exception from the universality of its dec- 
laration, which will be found in the 18th George IIL c. 12. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 257 

A clause in this statute enacts, that from and after its pas- 
sing, the king and parliament will not impose any duty or 
tax on the colonies, except such as may be required for the 
regulation of commerce, and that the net produce of such 
duty or tax shall be applied to the use of each colony res- 
pectively in which it is levied, in such manner as the other 
duties collected by the authority of the assemblies of such 
colonies are applied. 

That the practice of parliament has been in accordance 
with the principle of these declaratory enactments might 
be shown by a reference to numerous statutes subsequently 
enacted, which directly legislate for the colonies. 

The authority of Mr. Burke may be added, as that of the 
person most jealous on the subject of colonial rights, for he, 
in fact was the parliamentary leader throughout the contest 
against the rights of the mother country, and sacrificed his 
seat at Bristol to his opinions in favor of the colonies. But 
in his celebrated speech on American taxation in 1774, he 
expressly maintains the supremacy of parliament, and the 
full extent of the rights claimed by the Declaratory Act, to 
which he holds the abandonment of the taxing power no 
exception. This forms the conclusion of the speech. (See 
Works, vol. ii, pp. 335 and 440, 8vo edition.) The same 
doctrines he continued to hold in 1775, when he renewed 
his resolutions of conciliation, and in 1780, when he retired 
from the representation of Bristol. In his famous speech 
upon the former occasion, he declares himself to wish as 
little as any man being to impair the smallest particle of 
the supreme authority of parliament, (Works, vol. iii, p. 
109,) and in 1792, when he had become, if possible, more 
attached to the colonial party, both here and in France, he 
prepared a slave code, to be enacted in England for our 
West India colonies. 
Y 



258 AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

This statement proves, first, ..that the mother country 
never abandoned the legislative authority, except as re- 
gards the right of taxing; and secondly, that the colonists 
never even claimed any further exemption from the juris- 
diction of parliament. 



APPENDIX 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

We, the people of the United States, in order to form a 
more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tran- 
quillity, provide for the common defence, promote the gen- 
aral welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to our- 
selves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Con- 
stitution for the United States of America. 

ARTICLE I. 

SECTION 1. 

1 . All legislative powers herein granted, shall be vested 
in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a 
Senate and House of Representatives. 
SECTION 2. 

1. The House of Representatives shall be composed of 
members chosen every second year by the people of the 
several States ; and the electors in each State shall have 
the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numer- 
ous branch of the State legislature. 

2. No person shall be a representative who shall not 
have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been 
seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall 
not, when elected be an inhabitant of that State in which 
he shall be chosen. 



260 APPENDIX. 

3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned 
among the several States which may be included within 
this union, according to their respective numbers, which 
shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free 
persons, including those bound to service for a term of 
years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all 
other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made 
within three years after the first meeting of the Congress 
of the United States, and within every subsequent term of 
ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The 
number of representatives shall not exceed one for every 

' thirty thousand, but each State shall have at least one rep- 
resentative; and until such enumeration shall be made, 
the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose 
three; Massachusetts eight; Rhode Island and Providence 
Plantations one; Connecticut five; New York six; New 
Jersey four; Pennsylvania eight; Delaware one; Mary- 
land six ; Virginia ten ; North Carolina five ; South Caro- 
lina five: and Georgia three. 

4. When vacancies happen in the representation from 
any State, the executive authority thereof shall issue writs 
of election to fill up such vacancies. 

5. The House of Representatives shall choose their 
speaker and other officers, and shall have the sole power 
of impeachment. 

SECTION 3. 

1. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of 
two senators from each State, chosen by the legislature' 
thereof, for six years ; and each senator shall have one 
vote. 

2. Immediately after they shall be assembled in con- 
sequence of the first election, they shall be divided, as 
equally as may be, into three classes. The seats of the 
senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration 



APPENDIX. 261 

of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of 
the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of 
the sixth year, so that one third may be chosen every 
second year; and if vacancies happen, by resignation or 
otherwise, daring the recess of the legislature of any State, 
the executive thereof may make temporary appointments 
until the next meeting of the legislature, which shall then 
fill such vacancies. 

3. No person shall be a senator who shall not have at- 
tained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a 
citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected 
be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. 

4. The vice president of the United States shall be 
president of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they 
be equally divided. 

5. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also 
a president pro tempore, in the absence of the vice presi- 
dent, or when he shall exercise the office of president of the 
United States. 

6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all im- 
peachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be 
on oath or affirmation. When the president of the United 
States is tried, the chief justice shall preside; and no per- 
son shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds 
of the members present. 

7. Judgment in case of impeachment shall not extend 
further than to removal from office, and disqualification to 
hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit, under 
the United States; but the party convicted shall neverthe- 
less be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and 
punishment according to law. 

SECTION 4. 
1. The times, places, and manner of holding elections 
for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in 



262 APPENDIX. 

each State by the legislature thereof^ but the congress 
may, at any time, by law, make or alter such regulations, 
except as to the places of choosing senators. 

2. The congress shall assemble at least once in every 
year, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in 
December, unless they shall by law appoint a different 
day. 

SECTION 5. 

1. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns, 
and qualifications of its own members j and a majority of 
each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller 
number may adjourn from day to day, and may be author- 
ized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such 
manner and under such penalties as each house may pro- 
vide. 

2. Each house may determine the rules of its proceed- 
ings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with 
the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. 

3. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings^ 
and from time to time publish the same, excepting such 
parts as may in their judgment require secrecy ; and the 
yeas and nays of the members of either house, on any ques- 
tion, shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be 
entered on the journal. 

4. Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, 
without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than 
three days, nor to any other place than that in which the 
two houses shall be sitting. 

SECTION 6. 

1 . The senators and representatives shall receive a com- 
pensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and 
paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall, 
in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace. 



APPENDIX. ^63 

be privileged from arrest, during their attendance at the 
session of their respective houses, and in going to or return- 
ing from the same; and for any speech or debate in either 
house, they shall not be questioned in any other place. 

2. No senator or representative shall, during the time for 
which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under 
the authority of the United States, which shall have been 
created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been in- 
creased, during such time; and no person holding any 
office under the United States shall be a member of either 
house during his continuance in office. 

SECTION 7. 

1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the 
House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or 
concur with amendments, as on other bills. 

2. Every bill which shall have passed the House of Rep- 
resentatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a law, 
be presented to the president of the United States; if he 
approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with 
his objections, to that house in which it shall have origin- 
ated, who shall enter the objection at large on their jour- 
nal, and proceed to re-consider it. If, after such re-consid- 
eration, two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the 
bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the 
other house, by which it shall likewise be re-considered, 
and if approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become 
a law. But in all such cases, the votes of both houses shall 
be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the per- 
sons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the 
journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be 
returned by the president within ten days (Sundays except- 
ed) after it shall have been presented to him, the same 
shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless 
the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in 
which case it shall not be a law. 



"^■^ APPENDIX. 

3. Every order, resolution, or vote, to which the con- 
currence of the Senate and House of Eepresentatives may 
be necessary, (except on a question of adjournment,) shall 
be presented to the president of the United States; and be- 
fore the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, 
or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two- 
thn-ds of the Senate and House of Eepresentatives, accord- 
ing to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a 
bill. 

SECTION 8. 

The Congress shall have power— 

1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises- 
to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and 
general welfare of the United States; but all duties, im- 
posts, and excises, shall be uniform throughout the United 
otates: 

2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States: 
3.10 regulate commerce with foreign nations and among 
the several States, and with the Indian tribes • 

4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and 
uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the 
United States. 

5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of for- 
eign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures: 

6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the 
securities and current coin of the United States : 

7. To establish post offices and post roads • 

8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts 
by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors 
the^exclus.ve right to their respective writings and discov- 

9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court : 
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on 
the high seas, and offences against the law of nations- 



APPENDIX 



265 



10. To declare war, grant letters of marque and repri- 
sal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water: 

1 1 . To raise and support armies ; but no appropriation of 
money to that use shall be for a longer term than two 
3^ears : 

12. To provide and maintain a navy. 

13. To make rules for the government and regulation of 
the land and naval forces : 

14. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute 
the laws of the union, suppress insurrections, and repel 

invasions: 

15. To provide for organising, arming, and disciplinmg 
the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be 
employed in the service of the United States, reserving to 
the States respectively, the appointment of the officers, and 
the authority of training the militia according to the disci- 
pline prescribed by Congress: 

16. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatso- 
ever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) 
as may, by cession of particular States, and the acceptance 
of Concrress, become the seat of government of the United 
States, and to exercise like authority over all places pur- 
chased, by the consent of the legislature of the State m 
which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, maga- 
zmes, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildmgs:— 

and, , 

17. To make all laws which shall be necessary and 
proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, 
and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the gov- 
ernment of the United States, or in any department or offi- 
cer thereof. 

SECTION 9. 

1. The migration or importation of such persons as any 
of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall 



APPENDIX. 



not be prohibited by the Cono-ress nrinr t. ti 

^^^^No biU of a„ainde,o:. expo, factor, Shan be 
4. No capitation or other direct tax slnll l.o l • i . 

=;:::;::—- --ts:^ 

«. No „„„,.,,,. II |^j,,„ tl..l„.,„v h7i„ 

iiom an} lung, pnnce, or foreign State. 



SECTIOX 10. 



° ^'*'' ^''''"' -"'-"' '"e consent of the Congress 



APPENDIX. 



267 



lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except 
what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspec- 
tion laws; and the neat produce of all duties and imposts, 
laid by any State on imports or exports, shall be for the 
use of the treasury of the United States, and all such laws 
shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. 
No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any 
duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of 
peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another 
State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless 
actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not 

admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II. 

SECTION 1. 

1. The executive power shall be vested in a president of 
the United States of America. He shall hold his office dur- 
ing the term of four years, and, together with the vice 
president, chosen for the same term, be elected as follows: 

2. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legis- 
lature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to 
the whole number of senators and representatives to which 
the state may be entitled in the Congress; but no senator 
or representative, or person holding an office of trust or 
profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elec- 
tor. . J 

3 The electors shall meet in their respective states, and 
vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall 
not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves 
And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and 
of the number of votes for each ; which list they shall sign 
and certify, and transmit scaled to the seat of the govern- 
mentof the United States, directed to the president of the 
senate The president of the senate shall, in the presence 



268 APPENDIX. 

of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the 
certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The per- 
son having the greatest number of votes shall be the presi- 
dent, if such number be a majority of the whole number of 
electors appointed ; and if there be more than one who have 
such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then 
the House of Representatives shall immediately choose, by 
ballot, one of them for president; and if no person have a 
majority, then, from the five highest on the list, the said 
house shall, in like manner, choose the president. But, in 
choosing the president, the votes shall be taken by states, 
the representation from each state having one vote ; a quo- 
rum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members 
from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the 
states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after 
the choice of the president, the person having the greatest 
number of votes of the electors, shall be the vice president. 
But if there should remain two or more who have equal 
votes, the Senate shall choose from them, by ballot, the 
vice president. 

4. The Congress may determine the time of choosing 
the electors, and the day on which they shall give their 
votes; which day shall be the same throughout the United 
States. 

5. No person, except a natural born citizen, or a citizen 
of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Con- 
stitution, shall be eligible to the office of president : neither 
shall any person be eligible to that office, who shall not 
have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been four- 
teen years a resident within the United States. 

6. In case of the removal of the president from office, or 
of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the pow- 
ers and duties of the said office, the. same shall devolve on 
the vice president, and the Congress may, by law, provide 



APPENDIX. 269 

for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, 
both of the president and vice president, declaring what 
officer shall then act as president, and such officer shall act 
accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a president 
shall be elected. 

7. The president shall, at stated times, receive for his 
services a compensation, which shall neither be increased 
nor diminished during the period for which he shall have 
been elected, and he shall not receive within that period 
any other emolument from the United States, or any of 
them. 

8. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall 
take the following oath or affirmation : 

9. 4 do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully 
execute the office of President of the United States, and 
will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and de- 
fend, the Constitution of the United States.' 

SECTION 2. 

1 . The president shall be commander-in-chief of the ar- 
my and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the 
several states, when called into the actual service of the 
United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of 
the principal officer in each of the executive departments, 
upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective 
offices; and he shall have power to grant reprieves and par- 
dons for offisnces against the United States, except in cases 
of impeachment. 

2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and con- 
sent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of 
the senators present concur : and he shall nominate, and by 
and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall ap- 
point ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, 
judges of the supreme court, and all other officers of the 

Z 



270 APPENDIX. 

United States, whose appointments are not herein other- 
wise provided for, and which shall be established by law. 
But the Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of 
such inferior officers as they think proper, in the president 
alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 
3. The president shall have power to fill up all vacan- 
cies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by 
granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their 
next session. 

SECTION 3. 

1. He shall, from time to time, give to the Congress in- 
formation of the state of the Union, and recommend to their 
consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary 
and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, con- 
vene both houses, or either of them, and, in case of disa- 
greement between them, with respect to the time of ad- 
journment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall 
think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other pub- 
lic ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully 
executed ; and shall commission all the officers of the Unit- 
ed States. 

SECTION 4. 

1. The president, vice president, and all civil officers of 
the United States, shall be removed from office on impeach- 
ment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high 
crimes and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III. 

SECTION 1. 

1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vest- 
ed in one supreme court, and in such inferior courts, as the 
Congress may, from time to time, ordain and establish. 
The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall 
hold their offices during good behavior ; and shall, at stat- 



APPENDIX. .271 

ed times, receive for their services a compensation which 
shall not be diminished during their continuance in office. 

SECTION 2. 

1. The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law and 
equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the 
United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, 
under their authority : to all cases affecting ambassadors, 
other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiral- 
ty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the 
United States shall be a party ; to controversies between 
t'woorjnore states; between a state and citizens of another 
state; between citizens of different states; between citizens 
of the same state claiming lands under grants of different 
states ; and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and 
foreign states, citizens, or subjects. 

2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public minis- 
ters and consuls, and those in which a state shall be a par- 
ty, the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction. In 
all the other cases before-mentioned, the supreme court 
shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and 
fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations, as 
the Congress shall make. 

3. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeach- 
ment, shall be by jury, and such trial shall be held in the 
state where the said crimes shall have been committed; 
but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be 
at such place or places as the Congress may by law have 
directed. 

SECTION 3. 

1. Treason against the United States shall consist only 
in levying war against them, or in adhering to their ene- 
mies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be 



272 ' APPENDIX. 

convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two wit- 
nesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. 
2. The Congress shall have power to declare the pun- 
ishment of treason ; but no attainder of treason shall work 
corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of 
the person attainted. 

ARTICLE IV. 

SECTIOxV 1. 

1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to 
the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every 
other state. And the Congress may, by general laws, pre- 
scribe the manner in which such acts, records, and pro- 
ceedings, shall be proved, and the effect thereof. 

SECTION 2. 

1 . The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all pri- 
vileges and immunities of citizens in the several states. 

2. A person charged in any state with treason, felony, 
or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in 
another state, shall, on demand of the executive authority 
of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be re- 
moved to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. 

3. No person held to service or labor in one state under 
the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in conse- 
quence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from 
such service or labor ; but shall be delivered up on claim of 
the party to whom such service or labor may be due. 

SECTION 3. 

1. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this 
Union; but no new state shall be formed or erected within 
the jurisdiction of any other state, nor any state be formed 
by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, 
without the consent of the legislatures of the states con- 
cerned, as well as of the Congress, 



APPENDIX. 273 

2. The Congress shall have power to dispose of, and 
make all needful rules and regulations respecting the ter- 
ritory or other property belonging to the United States; 
and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to 
prejudice any claims of the United States, or of any par- 
ticular state. 

SECTION 4. 

1. The United States shall guaranty to every state in 
this Union, a republican form of government, and shall 
protect each of them against invasion ; and, on application 
of the legislature, or of the executive, (when the legisla- 
ture cannot be convened,) against domestic violence. 

ARTICLE V. 

1. The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses 
shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this 
Constitution; or on the application of the legislatures of two- 
thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for pro- 
posing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to 
all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several 
states, or by Conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the 
one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by 
the Congress; provided, that no amendment which may be 
made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and 
eight, shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses 
in the ninth section of the first article : and that no state, 
without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage 
in the Senate. 

ARTICLE VI. 

1. All debts contracted and engagements entered into, 
before the adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid 
against the United States under this Constitution, as under 
the confederation. 
z2 



274 APPENDIX. 

2. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States 
which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties 
made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the 
United States, shall be the supreme law of the land ; and 
the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, any thing 
in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary not- 
withstanding. 

3. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, 
and the members of the several state legislatures, and all 
executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and 
of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation 
to support this Constitution: but no religious test shall ever 
be required as a qualification to any office or public trust 
under the United States. 

ARTICLE VII. 

1. The ratification of the Conventions of nine states shall 
be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution be- 
tween the states so ratifying the same. 

Done in Convention, by the unanimous consent of the states 
present, the seventeenth day of September, in the year 
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-se- 
ven, and of the Independence of the United States of 
America, the twelfth. In witness whereof, we have here- 
unto subscribed our names. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 
President and deputy from Virginia. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. NEW YORK. 

John Langdon, Alexander Hamilton. 
Nicholas Oilman. new jersey. 

MASSACHUSETTS. William Livingston, 

Nathaniel Gorman, David Bearly, 

Rufus King. William Paterson, 

CONNECTICUT. Jonathan Dayton. 
William Samuel Johnson, Pennsylvania. 

Roger Sherman. Benjamin Franklin, 



APPENDIX. 



275 



Thomas Mifflin, 
Robert Morris, 
George Clymer, 
Thomas Fitzsimons, 
Jared Ingersoll, 
James Wilson, 
Governeur Morris. 

DELAWARE. 

George Read, 
Gunning Bedford, jun. 
John Dickinson, 
Richard Bassett, 
Jacob Broom. 

MARYLAND. 

James M'Henry, 

Daniel ofSt. Tho. Jenifer, 

Daniel Carroll. Attest, 



VIRGINIA. 

John Blair, 

James Madison, jun. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 

William Blount, 
Richard Dobbs Spaight, 
Hugh Williamson. 

SOUTH CAROLINA. 

John Rutledge, 
Chas. Cotesworth Pinckney, 
Charles Pinckney, 
Pierce Butler. 

GEORGIA. 

William Few, 
Abraham Baldwin, 

WM. JACKSON, Secretary. 



276 APPENDIX. 

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 

Art. 1. Congress shall make no law respecting an es- 
tablishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise 
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the 
press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, 
and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

Art. 2. A well regulated militia being necessary to the 
security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and 
bear arms shall not be infringed. 

Art. 3. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered 
in any house without the consent of the owner; nor in time 
of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. 

Art. 4. The right of the people to be secure in their per- 
sons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable 
searches and seizures, shall not be violated ; and no war- 
rants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by 
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place 
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

Art. 5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital 
or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or 
indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the 
land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual ser- 
vice, in time of war or public danger; nor shall any per- 
son be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeo- 
pardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled, in any crimi- 
nal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived 
of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; 
nor shall private property be taken for public use, without 
just compensation. 

Art. 6. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall en- 
joy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial 
jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have 
been committed, which district shall have been previously 



APPENDIX. 277 



ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and 
cause of the accusation: to be confronted with the witnesses 
against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining 
witnesses in his favor; and to have the assistance of coun- 
cil for his defence. 

Art. 7. In suits at common law, where the value in con- 
troversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by 
jury shall be preserved; and no fact tried by a jury shall 
be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, 
than according to the rules of the common law. 

Art. 8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor exces- 
sive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments in- 
flicted. 

Art. 9. The enumeration in the Constitution of certam 
rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others 
retained by the people- 
Art. 10. The powers not delegated to the United States 
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are 
reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. 

Art. 11. The judicial power of the United States shall 
not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, 
commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States 
by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of 

any foreign state. 

Art. 12. M- The electors shall meet in their respective 
states, and vote by ballot for president and vice president, 
one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same 
state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the 
person voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the per- 
son voted for as vice president; and they shall make dis- 
tinct lists of all persons voted for as president, and of all 
persons voted for as vice president, and of the number of 
votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and 
transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the Unit^ 



^"^^ APPENDIX. 



ed States, directed to the president of the Senate; the presi^ 
dent of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and 
House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the 
votes shall then be counted ; the person having the greatest 
number of votes for president, shall be the president, if such 
number be a majority of the whole number of electors ap- 
pomted: and if no person have such majority, then from 
the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding 
three, on the list of those voted for as president, the House 
of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot the 
president. But, in choosing the president, the vof s shall 
be taken by states, the representation from each state hav- 
mg one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a 
member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a 
majority ofall the states shall be necessary to a choice. 
And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a 
president whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon 
them, before the fourth day of March next following, then 
the vice president shall act as president, as in the case of 
the death or other constitutional disability of the president. 

2. The person having the greatest number of votes as 
vice president, shall be the vice president, if such number 
be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed- 
and if no person have a majority, then from the two high- 
est numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the vice 
president: a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two- 
thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of 
the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. 

3. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office 
ofpresident, shall be eligible to that of vice president of 
the United States. 

[the END.] 

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